The Broken Build the Broken
by Flyin'ByTheSeat
Summary: People started taking notice when they started holding hands occasionally, as well as the brief hugs that seemed to become less and less brief with each embrace. Hope you like it!- CCs welcome! :) OCs: Thaliana, Emiko, Lucien, Possible others Main Walking Dead Characters: Merle & Daryl Dixon. Warning: Profanities, Racial slurs, lime...possible future lemon...
1. The End of the World

It took the end of the world to learn how to smile, to laugh, to love and be loved…

And finally belong somewhere.

It was the broken that helped me to finally begin to heal.

...

This life I have now, some would think it's a stark contrast to my past. In reality, it isn't all that different for me.

Growing up there was no laughter when I was being terrorized at school. There was no love in my home. On my walks home from the bus stop, I would see other children smiling and hugging their parents, longing to know what it was like to be hugged and kissed like a mother would their child, to laugh and smile. Sometimes, when my father was sleeping or out the house, I would stand on my stepstool and practice smiling in the bathroom mirror for hours; for some, reason, it never looked or felt right. I had given up on that after a while… I'd given up on a lot of things, I think. I was alone all my life. Even now at the end of the world…


	2. The Quiet One

_I do not own TWD_

_Please enjoy this chapter!_

….

**The Quiet One**

A young woman in dark jeans, black biker boots, a charcoal gray shirt, and a cropped leather jacket sat curled up into herself. Her long, brownish-black hair in twists all pulled back in a low ponytail. Her dark hair was a sharp contrast to her grey eyes, which were shielded by her army green newsboy cap. Her full, rosy brown lips pressed deftly against her folded, leather-sleeved arms that were resting on her knees. Deep in her thoughts, looking at the landscape beyond the quarry camp outside of Atlanta.

"Thaliana?"

The young woman was snapped from her thoughts by the gentle voice, not realizing that she had been called 3 or 4 times. Slowly, she turned to Dale as he planted himself beside her. Immediately, she scooted away a little. Ever since running away, she had never been that close to someone and being that close to males still made her panic inside. No one knew that part of her past, she was too ashamed to share it, it was still too painful to talk about. Somehow, Dale figured something else happened to her beside the physical abuse from her father that she shared. He never pried; he just sat with the city girl in silence for a while.

"You know, when the world was… bustling and so full of noise… always going… it was so easy to pass everything by… it was easy to forget the beauty of all this." He said, spanning his hand over the distant landscape.

Dale looked at Thaliana only to get a nod in response. It didn't bother him that she didn't speak much. He just knew that whatever she went through in her life… was traumatizing for her and had a lasting effect. He was a patient and wise man; in due time, she'll open up. In the meanwhile, there's no harm in talking… even if it is a one-way conversation.

As Dale talked, Thaliana listened, still looking over the greenery. Over the past few days, she'd become accustomed to the sound of Dale's voice. Certainly, it was better than hearing Merle constantly pissing people off. The moment he saw the young woman – Oh, he was determined to do whatever it took to get under her skin.

Every day, he would be in her ear; "nigger" this… "coon" that. If it wasn't racist, it was something sexist and racist – barking "orders" to get in a kitchen or "go do laundry like you women are supposed to… you are a women aren't you?" He eased off for a little while after she saved his life while on a supply run a last week: a shot from a silenced gun in a walker's head from across the room. If Merle hadn't turned, he wouldn't have known that he was seconds from getting bitten. Had he not turned, he probably would've gotten grazed. From then on, he just concluded to himself that she was unreadable… but that wasn't going to stop him from getting a rise out of her. To Thaliana, he was little more than a nuisance.

After a while, Dale went off to tend to the RV, but not before reminding her that if she needed to talk or anything, to feel free to go to him. "Okay." She said softly. She listened to the dirt crunching under Dale's shoes as he walked off. He didn't get too far before someone stopped him

"Why are you talking to that girl?" another guy whispered harshly "She was an assassin – killed living people for money!"

"She killed terrorists and criminals, Tom;" Dale responded, "the way I see it, she was taking money out of their hands and making our lives safer – money that could have gone on to fund much worse for the general populace of the world."

...

That's right… that Tom guy is right…I lived by taking others' lives… a trained killer. I was typically hired by the US government to streamline their most wanted lists. When they weren't hiring me, drug lords were hiring me to take out drug lords. Arms dealers wanted their competition gone. Mafia, yakuza, you name it… I probably killed five or more of them. I didn't just come into doing that, though. I was adopted by a stoic man with eyes as warm as a glacier. He was tall and broad. His presence made me freeze in fear. He found me and brought me to an adoption center and registered me before applying to adopt me later on. Even then, as I spent the rest of my childhood with him, he remained this cold stranger. Even then, I was alone…. Much like now. It's no different from my life before… just more dangerous.

Once everyone found out, the entire camp pretty much avoided me except Dale, Carol, Shane – when he needed my expertise… and the Dixons. I'm already dreading having to go on yet another supply run.

xxxxxxxxxx

_It was another short one this time - the next is pretty long, but I hope you enjoy that one as well!_

_Thank you for sticking with me!_


	3. Supply Run 5

_If characters seem a bit OOC, I kind of want it that way. If it becomes WAY too OOC and I don't happen to catch it, feel free to let me know. This is a LONG chapter and sections of it are in one of three character perspectives. I hope you enjoy this one!_

_..._

Supply Run #5

This niggress is somethin' else. Everyone else - it's easy to rile 'em up, but this new bitch that joined up a few weeks ago? Can't figure 'er out… don't like it. Call 'er everythin' under the damn Georgia sun – nuthin'. I'd surmise that she's a dumbass, but she strikes me as one of those uppity negros that likes to read n' shit. I'm gonna get 'er t' crack one day – can't act mute n' deaf forever.

I'm sick of doin' this shit – even more so, have to do it with _her._ Bitch thinks she's sumthin' more than shit 'cause she killed a walker that snuck up on me? Damn near wanted t' punch Darylina in his stupid face for lookin' like he was kinda impressed with 'er after she killed that walker. True, she saved my skin again, I'll admit – but she almost messed me up doin' it.

"You got a knack for this."

"I _am_ an assassin, Older Dixon."

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were tryin' to kill me."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to be a walker snack." She shot back.

Heh. Bitch. I wanted to ask 'er why she didn't just chuck a spear. Before I could say shit….

"You okay?"

Probably the first time I was left wordless. She said it flatly, firmly… but still… she asked if I was okay… it almost sounded fuckin' kind.

"'Course I'm okay; almost nicked my gorgeous mug, though, lil' darky."

"You don't look much different than a walker to me. The again… I don't want to insult the walkers…" an' she jus' sighed an' went over to the other side of the room.

hardest I'd laughed in a long time; this bitch's got some brass ones. Said that so calmly and just walked over to look at some clothes for the group. Didn't even flinch or smirk – priceless!

….

I jus' bit my lip an' scoffed at the whole situation. Weren't we the oddest crew? A black girl an' two men that she knows hates her guts an' don't trust her fer shit - girl prob'ly felt likewise. An' we were, all three of us, asked to go get supplies for the camp. What's this... the fifth time they sent us out together n' three weeks? Girl prob'ly wanted to jus' get away from us so bad.

If it came to it, I knew that Merle an' I would leave her in a heartbeat. Truth be told, we'd leave anyone that weren't kin. Way I saw it; it was us against a world that looked down on people like us. Always has been, in a sense… even though Merle was never really there, he was all I had. I'll never admit it to her, but I'm sorta grateful she saved him… again.

"Found some knives over here, Merle."

"Good ones?"

"Some real nice ones."

"Hand me one of them babies, then."

I gave one to 'im without a second thought. Didn't think he was gonna do anythin'. In no time flat, he proved me wrong.

"Hey, girl – catch this!"

My heart actually dropped when I saw 'im throw that knife in her direction, smirk on 'is face and all. My mind started racin'. What if she ended up gettin' killed behind this? He was takin' things too far. Messin' with her was one thing, but this actually scared me.

….

Thaliana turned around with that same stoic face and saw the knife speeding at her. Her reaction was to catch the knife and without hesitation, her fingers grasped the dull side of the blade. She looked at the exquisitely crafted knife and then at a slack-jawed Merle and Daryl. Daryl seemed to be relieved, but Merle appeared to get a kick out of what just happened.

"Well, damn, girl – you just a regular tough-ass, huh?" Merle cackled.

Thaliana walked up to Merle as she shoved the knife into one of her holsters. She looked him square in his eyes. It was only then that Merle's grins faded. For the first time he saw something in her eyes, it wasn't anger or fear… he wasn't sure what it was.

"My father used to throw knives, when he was angry; once he got me really good in the shoulder." She started. Her voice even and calm, but assertive "he also liked to tie me up and burn me with cigarettes, before beating me… I was 3 years old then."

Neither Merle nor Daryl was at the campsite when she shared a bit of her past. Though Merle was great at masking it, he and Daryl were thunderstruck. Her past was not all that different from theirs. Daryl looked away after she pulled off her jacket and tied it around her waist, which ultimately revealed arms littered with scars: small burns and long, raised scars of old lacerations, they reminded him of his. She walked closer and looked Merle dead in his eyes. Pain… bravery… that's what Merle saw. No hatred or anger… no denigration toward him or his brother. Merle was used to that; people looking down on him, people hating him or feeling uncomfortable at least… not this unshaken young woman.

"I lived my most of my life in fear, always having to protect myself… always alone. In short, I'm not afraid or intimidated by either of you and your shit way of thinking about people that don't look like you. In a world like this, not even you have the time for that."

There was silence for a brief moment before Thaliana walked over to a wall of foreign blades.

"I'm going to the pharmacy to get some more supplies and the diner next to it to raid the freezers; whatever you're going to do, do it… but meet me back at the truck in 30 and don't even think about leaving me behind."

The Dixons watched her grab a set of twin hooks off the wall and turn the corner, her purposeful foot falls fading down the hall, stopping only before the light ring of the bell over the entrance.

"Well, damn; ain't she a bossy one?" Merle remarked before grinning again.

...

That was the most she'd ever said since joinin' the group, I think. If that was her breakin' after all that Merle an' I did to her… shit. I could tell Merle didn't expect that; hell, I didn't expect it myself. Even though he held a smug look on his face, I saw 'im flinch a little when she showed her scars; he knew was that was about. She started out jus' like us, but all three of our lives turned out different. Merle shrugged and went about what he wanted to do; I decided to catch up with the girl. She talked about goin' to the drugstore an' the diner. Might get overwhelmed – an' I'm sure as hell not gonna be the one explainin' how she ended up dyin'. When I got into the pharmacy, any walkers I saw were stabbed in the head… or freshly missin' one, by the looks of it. Maybe I didn't need to come help, after all.

"Hey."

She jumped an' let out a little squeak. Granted, I kinda snuck up on her; still, it was kinda funny. It was only kinda funny 'cause when she turned, she had them twin hooks in her hands.

"Sorry."

She just let out a little huff o' breath an' went back to packin' boxes with medicine. I guess she really isn't the chatty type. She works fast, packed about 5 of them boxes before I got there. I just grabbed one an' started packin' up stuff next to her. For a long time, we didn't say a thing to one another, until we both absently reached for a box of bandages at the same time. I barely touched her hand an' she just jerked away like she touched a hot iron; moved about a good two feet away.

"The hell? I thought I didn't scare you, girl. What happened to all that bravado when you stepped to my brother, huh?"

That's when I noticed her hold on the box flaps was tight an' her hands were tremblin' a little.

"I've never done that before; stand that close to a male, let alone a person…. Not since my father…"

Her voice trailed off. Still a touchy subject, I guess. It made me curious… more curious than I ever am; I jus' wanted to understand.

"So 'cause your Pa beat you… you scared to touch people or let 'em touch you?"

She never looked at me. Almost began regrettin' I'd ever asked when I saw her hands quiverin' even more at the mention of her father.

"I don't want to talk about my father… " she said quietly.

She went back to packin' the box quicker than before. Her face didn't change... but her eyes… they started to have that look that I knew all too well… the feelin' of shame that's so hard to hide. Her father must've been a much sicker fuck than I thought – more than what she shared… I wouldn't wish it anyone… no matter the color.

"Listen, girl; I'm sorry 'bout my brother an' I – "

"My name isn't 'girl', Dixon, it's not 'bitch', nor is it any single variation of a racial slur that you or your brother could think to call me; and don't apologize for your brother, he's a grown man – he can do it himself. Lastly, don't apologize to me out of pity over my past. I didn't need it then… I don't need it now."

She said that so calmly, but it shook me to my core. Got a unique way of showin' she don't' take any shit off anybody.

….

Daryl looked at her with a trace of a smirk. There was the bravado. He kinda liked seeing her stand up to Merle after the knife thing… just a little bit. Neither of them had any idea that Merle was listening to them as they packed all they could get their hands on. Part of Merle was disgusted with his brother for actually making conversation with Thaliana. Part of him felt like dirt after hearing of her early childhood experiences. Part of him was somewhat impressed with the way the young woman handled herself – not that he'd ever admit that. All that left his mind as quickly as it swirled in when he saw Thaliana grab tubes of lipgloss and lip balms; he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Even his younger brother got a kick out of it.

"Really now? " Daryl chortled. Thaliana actually smirked back.

"Nothing wrong with a, good, no-hassle, comfort item. God knows, I need some kind of normalcy in my life."

Daryl thought for a bit. Some of the women back at the camp probably were used to dolling themselves up for work or dates. Bringing back some comfort items might not be a bad idea.

"Amen to that. I'm-a check the chillers on the other side n' see if they got some beer."

Thaliana scoffed out a chuckle as Daryl walked toward the food and drink. As he passed each aisle, he saw other things that might be worth packing up, but that took a backseat when he finally got to the beer… and Merle. His big brother closed the door of the chiller and opened up a beer bottle, all the while giving Daryl that disapproving look.

"And now you're thinkin' about makin' the group happy…" Merle scoffed "We're supposed to be lookin' out for us – not these people that wouldn't give us the time o' day in the past."

"It ain't the same as it was before, Merle." Daryl spoke in a hushed tone. He looked at his brother as he took a swig from the beer and popped a pill.

"Midnight over there's right, y'know;" Merle began quietly "don't apologize. Don't start actin' desperate an' gettin' friendly with her. "

Daryl was silent as Merle continued after taking a long drink from the dark green glass bottle.

"Yeah, she started out like us – so what? She ain't like us… don't forget that."

Daryl squirmed inwardly a little bit at that statement. It didn't feel right to him… not this time.

"She saved your fool ass, Merle… again…she coulda just let you die."

"I don't owe that bitch nuthin', baby brother. Neither do you… so don't start bein' a pussy an' feelin' all guilty n' shit, jus' cause she got a sob story like ours."

Daryl shook his head and looked at the bottom shelf of the chiller in front of him. Merle smirked and gave his brother a strong pat on the back.

"I'm headin' back to the consignment place… finish packin' up the guns an' all that."

...

It's not like I couldn't hear them talking; I mean, it's a dead quiet store with only three people in it. Honestly, I don't care if Merle and Daryl feel like they owe me or not. I'm not looking for anyone to see me in a different light and I'm not desperate for people to like me. I just want to survive, and with more dead-heads than people… it's better to be in a group… even if people don't really care for you.

I heard the faint clinking of bottles and gentle footfalls coming back toward me. I almost wouldn't have heard Daryl walking back over if not for the quiet. As soon as he set down his cases of beer, he slid the boxes he'd been packing earlier a few feet further away from where he was originally.

"I don't want to make you jump again… like last time…" he mumbled.

I felt like his conversation with his big brother had part in this also, but I didn't want to deal with any drama. We just worked quietly. Eventually, I moved on to food. They had quite a bit in the way of pantry stuffers like cereal, soup, canned meats – things of that nature. But as with most drugstores… there are several aisles with candy, cookies, salty snacks – all kinds of junk…I kind of scoffed to myself over the fact that a place centered around wellness offers so much crap along with it. I just grabbed some more boxes and got to work.

….

Them two were takin' too damn long in there. They were still packin' shit in the pharmacy when I was done in the consignment shop. Decided to go 'head in the diner an' get started. No walkers… which shocked the hell outta me… but glad for it.

For the life o' me, I can't get my brother's words outta my head.

"She saved you; she coulda let you die…"

I probably woulda let that damn walker chew 'er up if it were near 'er. I owed 'er… I owed that girl my life… Shit. Last thing I wanted was t' owe anybody anythin'. 'fore I could shake the thoughts from my brain, Daryl n' that girl came in t' help box stuff up. Found what looked like a pretty new van that sat about 15 people and had some decent trunk space. We packed that bitch full of stuff and tethered the pickup we came in to it, also chockfull. Sun was pretty low when we were finally loaded up an' ready to ship out.

Daryl quickly took up the back seat jus' in case them boxes fell over or some shit, which meant I had t' have that girl sit next t' me while I drove. I jus' decided I'd be nice for a while; if only for the sake of a peaceful drive back t' camp.

"Damn, I'm starvin'; you two fools got anythin' for us t' eat on the way back or did you pack everythin'?"

In no time, the girl pulled out a paper bag an' opened it up, yanked out a steamin' hot cheeseburger an' unwrapped it before puttin' it in the dip o' the dashboard in front o' me. After that, she opened a bag of chips an' a bottle of soda an' put 'em in the cup holders for me.

"Ransacked a gas station."

Okay, now I'm impressed. When'd she do this shit?! That damn gas station was 3 city blocks down from the diner… musta done it when Daryl an' I were clearin' out the freezers in the diner. Truth be told, two o' us couldn't fit in them freezers at one time - it really woulda slowed us down… an' we'd have t' stay the night… clearly, that wasn' an option for us. She don't play around when it comes to livin' an' dyin', can take care of herself if she needed to, an' wasn't afraid to get 'er hands dirty… I like that.

….

"I heated some stuff up; figured everybody would be hungry." Thaliana said as she handed Daryl a burger and a bag of chips. He thanked her as he tore his chips open.

"Aww… you even unwrapped it for me." Merle mused with the usual smug grin

"Older Dixon, it may be the end of the world, but basic driving etiquette and safety rules still apply. I'll be damned if you get me killed out here."

Daryl laughed his head off at that, in fact, he barely managed to do so without choking on the gulp of soda he just swallowed. Merle hadn't heard his little brother laugh like that in years… but he was pissed that it was at his expense.

"Shut the hell up, Daryl!"

"What? That was fuckin' hilarious!"

"Y'know damn well I'm a great driver, boy."

Merle quickly looked in Thaliana's direction, who in turn just looked at him with a bit of a smirk.

"I am." He said more firmly, looking back on the road.

"Are you trying to convince me, Older Dixon? Since when do you care what I think?"

He was caught. Merle knew it. He liked her and the three of them worked well together. He straightened up in his seat and clenched the steering wheel a little harder.

"Cause we a team now."

"Now we're a team." Disbelief apparent in Thaliana's voice.

Merle was starting to get pissed… but he understood her reservations. She dealt with a lot from him and Daryl; though she did so in a way that made Merle almost admire her… still it was a lot… especially since she was basically alone at the camp… which, from what he understood, was really no different than what her life was like before the world ended. He was still pissed.

"What'cha want me t' do – apologize? You want me to say sorry for all the shit that happened in history?"

"The hell are you talking about?" Thaliana murmured

Both Daryl and Merle looked at her. She just folded her arms after picking up her bottle of tamarind soda.

"Why would you think that I want you apologize for that, I'm not some… representative of all black people – past and present. I'm not even asking you for an apology. I already told you, I've got bigger worries. We all do."

Merle just looked out over the road. She never did ask, but he knew he owed her one. When he looked at her again, she just shook her head.

"Don't worry about it." She said as she brought the straw in her soda to her lips. "Eat your burger before it gets cold."

Daryl had just remembered his burger. He quickly snatched it back up, thankful it was still warm. When he unwrapped it, he took a huge bite and exhaled as he chewed.

"Best damn bacon cheeseburger I've had in a while… shit." Daryl murmured.

"Well, shit – does mine have bacon on it?!"

"All the burgers have bacon on them, Older Dixon."

"Damn it, stop callin' me "Old Dixon", girl! Make me sound like the town geezer n' shit."

"Will you just eat the damn burger? I'm sick of hearing your stomach ." Thaliana said with a huff in her breath.

A smirking Daryl just sat back and drank his soda as he looked out his window; it was close to pitch black and there was still a bit of traveling to do before they finally reached the camp.

"We gotta find a place to bunk up, Merle; gettin' too dark out here."

"Last house I saw on the way to town was just up the road." Merle replied after swallowing the generous chunk of cheeseburger in his mouth. "We'll keep goin' till – "

"Douse the lights and kill the van." Thaliana said firmly.

Merle did so without fight; he knew well enough that if Thaliana was vocal, it was for good reason. He and Daryl saw the herd of walkers about a quarter mile up where the house was. None of them noticed the van, thankfully. Unfortunately, they had to wait until it passed. No one moved, no one really talked… they barely even breathed.

"We gonna have t' keep goin'. We can't stop anywhere after this." Merle whispered.

"Yeah." Daryl said.

Merle looked at Thaliana who just kept checking the outer surroundings of the van. Her eyes changed from what they were before, when they were kind of enjoying each other's company; they were extra cold and keenly focused. Her hands gripped the set of twin hooks she'd kept by her side of the many sets she'd nabbed. Merle had almost forgotten her trade before the world they knew was wiped out; assassin, gun-for hire. Daryl noticed the change in her presence as well; however, he – like his brother – felt that she had the right idea. Daryl readied his crossbow and Merle brandished a large bowie knife.

Minutes seemed to pass like hours as the large walker herd droned by. It felt like an eternity since anyone last took a breath or said anything. Luckily, the herd passed them by and swarmed the three cows in the field on the other side of the road. Merle took the opportunity to drive past as quickly as he could with the van lights off. It seemed like they made a collective exhale the moment they knew they were far enough away from the herd.

After a few hours of driving, Daryl offered to switch with Merle so that he could get some rest. Merle accepted, he may be spry and very adept, but even he knows that he's not as young as he used to be. The drive back to camp was silent; neither Daryl nor Thaliana minded this. Although, there were times where Daryl would look at her out of the corner of his eye, thinking maybe he should strike up some conversation.

"So… where you from?"

Thaliana looked at Daryl for a moment, wondering why he was asking.

"Your accent, it's, um… I never heard it before."

"I'm from Florida."

"Don't sound like it."

Thaliana let out a single, barely audible chuckle

"Well, if it helps… my parents are from Ethiopia."

"Never mentioned your mom before."

Thaliana looked at him for a minute before going back to scanning the area around them. Daryl noticed that she seemed a little more withdrawn.

"I think I shared quite a bit of my past already." She said softly. "If it's all the same, I'd rather not revisit that."

Daryl understood that. Hell, neither he nor Merle ever told anybody about their past. He looked at Thaliana one last time before for turning his eyes back to the road. Pretty soon, they were back at the camp. The group was all smiles upon seeing the new vehicle, boxes of food, clothes, weapons, toiletries, and multiple gas cans, as well as the group returning safely.

"Cuttin' it close, ain't ya, guys?" Shane chuckled.

Merle grinned his usual grin "When we raid, we go all or nuthin'." He said "Ain't that right, Midnight?"

Immediately, the group was made uncomfortable and they looked at Thaliana to see what her reaction would be. Daryl scoffed and walked off. They had a pretty nice time on the way back and his big brother had to ruin it.

"Don't forget who saved your life – yet again, Older Dixon; for a military man, you're losing your touch." Thaliana retorted with an even tone. With that, she walked off to her car with set after set of twin hooks and Merle watching her. Inwardly, he smirked to himself; she's really got a set on her.

"Merle." Shane called in a warning tone after everyone dispersed "You pissing people off with this shit an' it's gotta stop. We all in this together, n' you spoutin' this racist bull… it's bringin' down morale."

Merle looked Shane dead in his eyes and smirked.

"The fuck I care 'bout these bitches and sons of bitches, Deputy?" he chuckled.

Merle walked off before Shane could say anything else to him, unaware that Daryl went off to the embankment down the hill… unaware that Thaliana had gone down there also.

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_What's going to happen? Yeah, I don't know either… yet - but I will! Thank you for sticking with me up to now. _


	4. The Oddest Crew, Indeed

_I really hope you guys are enjoying this so far. I want to establish a reasonable bond between Thaliana and the Dixons before Rick comes out of his coma. I also want this to follow the TV series as closely as possible without just plonking OC('s) into any scenes and altering them. _

_I don't own any of the TWD characters… :'(_

….

**The Oddest Crew, Indeed.**

"How do you deal with that?" Carol said quietly.

She stood about 3 ½ feet from Thaliana on the edge of the embankment. The moonlight glittered on the now black water. Thaliana had her hunting rifle in hand, placing a sight and a silencer on it.

"With what?" Thaliana queried. Her tone filled with her usual calm.

She lifted her gun and looked through the crosshairs and caught a walker on the other side of the embankment as it meandered by. She led the target just a bit to account for distance and fired. Though the noise of the gun was significantly muffled, Carol jumped when she saw the walker's head explode across the water.

"How is it that the Dixons don't faze you?"

Thaliana shrugged and continued to scan the embankment, taking down another walker that appeared out of the woodwork not too far from where the first died.

Daryl happened to be finishing up taking a leak in the wooded area several feet from them. just as he finished and turned around, he saw Carol and Thaliana through a small clearing. He decided to inch closer and listen in.

"Doesn't it bother you when they say such mean things to you?"

Thaliana held her gun to her side and gave an exhale. "I've dealt with many similar personalities over the course of my life, even had to work with some of them. I decided that they were probably just assholes and had to learn to filter out the petty stuff and just get the job done. Not much different, really."

…

I looked at Thaliana as she continued sniping walkers. I admired and envied her. She's a very brave and strong woman. A beautiful person. A beautiful soul – at least that's what I believe about her… what I believe people would see if they gave her a chance. She's so zen and ferocious at the same time and didn't care what people thought. Even though the group shuns her, she'd still go out on supplies runs and help keep watch for the camp. I started to feel bad that she is so unappreciated by the group.

"Thank you." I said softly, which I think made Thaliana turn in my direction. "You put your life at risk for a group that avoids you and, aside from Dale, I've never heard anyone thank you… not even Shane. So… thank you for helping us survive."

Thaliana gave a slight nod and looked back out over the water.

"It wasn't just me out there;" She said. "No one thanked the Dixons either."

I was surprised at first when she said that… but as we walked back to the group, I realized she was right. "Credit where credit is due". As much trouble as they cause around the camp, the Dixons were out there, too.

….

Daryl couldn't believe his ears. Thaliana just stuck up for him and Merle. Those few words spoke volumes to Daryl.

"You an eavesdropper now, brother?" Merle whispered with a chuckle.

"When'd you get here? Daryl inquired.

Merle snickered and leaned his back against a tree next to the one Daryl was rested against. "'round the 'asshole' part, I suppose."

"So then you heard it, too… eavesdropper."

Merle scoffed and looked up at the stars peering through the spaces in the tree foliage. Never had anyone say anything like that about him before. Why did it have to be _her_? He hated her… didn't he? She wasn't like them… was she? He cursed under his breath. Trying to figure her out was making his head spin.

"That's one bafflin' bitch, I'll be honest." The elder Dixon exhaled.

"Yeah." Daryl said as he walked past his brother. "I'm turnin' in."

Merle nodded as his brother passed and then looked out over the sparkling water. He stayed for a while to think about what happened today. He actually enjoyed Thaliana's company. It actually made him a little happy that she was able to get Daryl to laugh – he hadn't seen that in many years. And she's had their backs when they were pinned down by walkers on their third supply run together. Perhaps she did it for herself, because she wanted to survive. Either way, she was an asset; it left Merle wondering if they would have made it back alive without her.

"That girl's all right, I guess." He mumbled to himself before making his way back up to the camp.

…

Thaliana couldn't sleep last night. She tried some warm milk, a bath in a waterhole about 30 feet away from camp – which was wonderfully warm after soaking the day's heat and sunlight in, she read half of a novel on her kindle, everything she could think of. Each time she fell asleep she saw her father, she felt the pain he inflicted on her and every time she woke up, her heart would pound. She had finally given up on getting any sleep and settled on sitting atop the roof of her car and watching the sun rise while brushing her teeth. Even this plan was foiled when Daryl and Merle approached her. At least she had minty breath.

"Mornin'." Daryl murmured.

"Good morning." Thaliana responded.

Merle and Daryl jerked back a little bit at the sound of her voice. It was groggy sounding, as if she only slept for five seconds after being up for twenty hours… she still had her hair bonnet on and her clothes were exceptionally disheveled.

"You look like shit." Merle quipped.

"So charming…" Thaliana retorted sarcastically as she took off the hair bonnet. "What brings you by?

"Fancy goin' huntin' with us, city girl?" Merle asked. "Best time o' day t' do it."

The young woman immediately looked at them warily. Why were they being so nice? Not a single racial slur since they came over. Not even a "bitch" sprinkled in anywhere…yet.

"You're unusually cheery and amicable…" Thaliana uttered, neatening up her ponytail. "What's your angle?"

"No angle; … We jus' wanna hang out… like in the van." Daryl answered.

It was Thaliana's turn to be dumbfounded. She thought about it for a minute; she did actually enjoy their time in the van, minus the walker herd scare and the "Midnight" incident, obviously. Eventually, she agrees to join them on their hunt. She grabs her twin hooks, her bowie knives, a first aid bag she stuffed with mesh nets, and a Remington 700 XCR. Merle gave a whistle when he saw her attach the silencer.

"Modified Remy 700, huh?" Merle surmised. "Juiced up for distance and larger caliber?"

"Observant." Thaliana replied with a nod. "I knew a guy… he died before all this started, though."

"Your guy did a good job on that baby; looks better than the standard."

"Works better, too."

"Time didn't stop, guys; let's get goin' if we're gonna find some deer." Daryl said and began walking off into the woods.

Merle gave a 'ladies first' gesture and immediately followed behind Thaliana, putting an extra rifle magazine in her bag as she caught up to Daryl.

As they walked through the woods, they had quiet conversation about different things: The best rock songs – which sparked a healthy debate, hunting experiences, Merle talked about his time in the military. Daryl talked about his run-in with the Chupacabra, which Merle laughed at. Thaliana used the Remington to take down the occasional walker as they journeyed. They did get some small game: Rabbits, quite a few quails, a pig that must have wandered off a farm somewhere – Merle cut the throat and removed the guts so it would bleed out and reduce the weight, some squirrels – which the Dixons teased Thaliana over; she didn't like them, feeling they were just a cuter version of rats. They decided early on to tie their game up high and come back for it as they made their way to camp. No luck with a deer yet.

After their almost two-mile trek from camp, they came across a rock ledge with a small but noisy creek running down it. Thaliana took out some mesh nets and went over to the water. After about an hour, and some help from the Dixons, they had four mesh nets filled to brimming with crayfish. The bags were tied off, tethered to a sturdy tree and left in the water to stay fresh. Thaliana looked out at the stunning scenery beyond the ledge as Merle and Daryl set up lunch. There was lush greenery speckled with wildflowers and a sparkling river below them. The sky being so vividly blue and speckled with fluffy clouds, made the view even better.

"Beautiful." hummed Thaliana.

She crossed her arms and felt something solid press against her arm. After reaching into the pocket inside her jacket, she remembered that she left a digital camera and about 10 memory sticks in there.

"Camera?"

Thaliana turned to see Daryl walking up to her and went back to the camera to turn it on.

"_Fancy_ camera." He remarked upon seeing the slim device.

"Yeah…" Thaliana answered softly "I came down from New York to… buy a house here and retire… I was going to take pictures."

She looked back out toward the landscape, squinting her grey eyes a little when the sun came back out from behind a cloud. Still, she lifted the camera and took a few shots of the area.

Daryl head pointed for Thaliana to go back with him to Merle, who just finished putting out lunch: Some sandwiches, beef jerky, a few beers, and some bottles of water. The Dixons sat by the large boulder beside the creek while Thaliana sat on top with her sandwich and bottle of water. Daryl wiped his mouth of any crumbs.

"Merle brought a beer for you, y'know." Daryl said.

Thaliana picked off a piece of the sandwich and ate it. "I appreciate the thought, but no thank you." she answered. After she caught glimpse of her watch and quickly took out a pill bottle and opened it to get a pill out. She took a sip of water and downed the pill before eating some more.

"Too good for a humble beer, city girl?" Merle joked.

Thaliana looked at the trees around them as they swayed and rustled gently, and then back down at the pill bottle.

"It's not that." She began "Because of the abuse, I suffer from absence seizures; my body just stops moving and it looks like I'm staring blankly into space. I have to take these pills to reduce the chance of it happening. Stress and alcohol are aggravators for my condition. "

The three of them eventually began telling parts of their past to one another. Some pretty heavy stuff that they dealt with in their lives. Thaliana huffed a breath and a small smirk spread on her face.

"You know, I never thought I'd be saying all of this to anyone. I think I've talked about my past with you guys more than anyone." She added.

Daryl looked out at the river. He remembered how different their lives were. Merle being in and out of jail, dealing drugs, even being a drug addict. Thaliana had been alone all her life… Daryl, too – but at least he had Merle to a degree… Thaliana had no one. They started out the same, ended up with different lives… and still they were – all three of them – so alone.

"Reckon it's 'cause yer an outsider…. Jus' like us." Daryl said as he looked back to her "Right, Merle?"

Merle took a long guzzle of his beer, but said nothing afterward, which prompted Daryl to turn his sight to his brother. Merle just opened up Thaliana's beer and began to drink. Daryl just shook his head. He knew Merle to be a bit stubborn at times.

"Oh, God – we must be the most screwed-up group of people ever to exist." Thaliana remarked with a groan and a facepalm.

Merle and Daryl almost choked on their beers when she said that. It was hilarious to them because there was probably some truth to it.

"You probably right, city girl; but we all still kickin'." Merle replied.

Their walk back was quiet one. As they got closer to camp, their load became heavier with Merle carrying the cleaned pig and a bag of crawfish, Daryl carrying 2 bags of crawfish, the squirrels and rabbits, and Thaliana shouldering a bag of crawfish and the quails. Once again, the camp was ecstatic over what they brought back. A thank you from Dale and Carol yet again, but that was fine by them

This became their routine; leave early morning, come back late afternoon with the spoils. The trio actually quite enjoyed spending time together. After a few treks, they realized people started noticing how their interactions changed. Some thought that it was a good thing, as the Dixons were causing less trouble around the camp. Some felt that Thaliana was a fool for being so friendly with the racists. There were others still that thought "gutter thoughts", since the three of them would be gone "hunting game" for hours on an almost daily basis since their last supply run. It seemed like only Dale and Carol understood the strange common bond that the three of them shared. In any sense, Daryl, Thaliana and Merle didn't care.

xxxxxxxxxx

_So that's the end of this chapter – posting the next one shortly. I hope you guys are liking this so far. _

_Thanks for sticking with me! _


	5. That's Why You're Afraid

_So basically, a huge bomb is dropped in this chapter. I hope the story is flowing well for you guys. Please enjoy this next installment of this fic! 3_

….

**That's Why You're Afraid**

Thaliana didn't sleep all that well the past several nights. Visions of her past plagued her mind - always awakening in cold sweats and her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to go freshen up while it was still barely light out and before anybody saw her looking like pure hell. She reached into her glove compartment and pulled out some damp facial cleansing wipes and one of those brush-on-the-go things and proceeded to brush her teeth with one hand and wash her face with the other. She quickly grabbed some fresh clothes, her now beloved twin hooks, a bar of soap, some depilatory cream, and a couple of towels and went to back to the waterhole. It had a little waterfall and the water emptied out into a small stream, so there was always clean water.

Thaliana stripped down to a bathing suit, just in case anyone happened upon her. With her hair in a high bun, she stepped into the water. The young woman grimaced at how cold it was, but she'd rather be clean. She quickly put some of the cream under her arms and began lathering her washcloth with lemon vanilla soap. She loved the smell of lemon. The only other smell she loved more was that of cherry blossoms.

As Thaliana waited for the depilatory to do its thing, she washed the rest of her dancer-like frame and thought about her conversation with T-Dog, Andrea and Lori yesterday. They couldn't believe that she was getting close to them, of all people… the _Dixons_! They insisted those two men were playing her for a fool and probably talking behind her back. Thaliana closed her arms around herself, not liking how close they were standing to her.

"Like the rest of the camp, right?" Thaliana retorted . They were shocked at her response "You think because I don't say anything, I don't hear the whispers of how I'm a monster or a cold-blooded killer? That I don't see the sideways looks you guys give me? People… telling their kids to stay away from me because they don't want me to influence them? I _know_ I'm being shunned… and in spite of all that, the things I've done... I guess I _am_ a fool."

Thaliana couldn't believe the nerve of these people; With the exception of Dale and Carol, they all avoid her like she has leprosy and then have the gall to tell her who to associate herself with, scolding her like a child for running with the bad kids.

After about four minutes, she removed the cream from under her arms and gently rinsed the traces of it away before resuming washing yesterday's funk away.

...

Merle and Daryl were walking through woods after stopping by Thaliana's car and not seeing her there.

"Wonder where she went off to?" Merle muttered as he scanned the woods.

Daryl chuckled a little "You worried about her or somethin'?"

"Or sumthin'." Merle retorted "She ain't someone you gotta worry about. Tough as hell and hardwired to thrive in a world like this."

Daryl stopped walking, slightly dumbfounded by his brother actually complementing her – a pure complement… usually he gives back-handed ones.

"Jus' like us, Merle?"

That question made him stop. He stared at his brother and noticed the sincerity of his expression. It was clear that Daryl meant more than just the survival instincts. Daryl was going to make him admit it, even if it was just to him. After a length of silence, Merle nodded a little.

"Jus' like us." He finally answered.

The two went on in their search for Thaliana. Merle noticed Daryl snickering a little bit.

"The fuck is so funny?"

"Kinda nice to see you warmin' up to 'er." Daryl teased.

"Shut the hell up."

….

Thaliana had just put on a sports bra over her regular bra. She hated the feeling of them bouncing around when she had to run and the extra support was welcomed. Just as she stabbed her favored twin hooks into the dirt and put her arms through her clean t-shirt, Merle and Daryl happened upon her. Daryl stopped in his tracks when he saw her back. Like her arms and neck, there were circular burn marks and long scars, with a particularly large one across the small of it, which looked like it had stitches at one point as well as the scar from the knife her father had thrown at her. Merle didn't even try to make a joke, but the brothers just stood there and looked at her.

"Could you turn around, please?" She said quietly.

Embarrassment was clear in her voice. Her arms were one thing, there weren't that many there, but the mosaic of scars on her back and chest… it was humiliating to her. Both Merle and Daryl turned around and faced the direction the came from to give her privacy. she quickly put on her shirt, fumbling the whole way and threw on her scarf. it was silent and awkward.

"Our Pa was an alcoholic and used to beat us, too." Daryl spoke up. Thaliana's movements slowed a bit as she pulled on her jacket. "An' our Mom died in a fire when she went to sleep with a lit cigarette."

"Where's your father now?" The city girl asked as she turned to face them.

"Dead." Merle answered. "Good riddance to that son of a bitch."

Thaliana hesitantly moved a little closer to them, but only a little.

"My father was an alcoholic, too." She said "My mom started using drugs to escape the pain of the abuse. When I was three, he started beating me as well, and…"

Thaliana gripped the hem of her t-shirt, clenching it fiercely. Her eyes were burning. She didn't want to cry… not in front of anyone. She give anything not to feel this pain again. she looked at the gravel on the ground. Her body shook, her eyes trembled.

"He… did things to me. Things a father isn't supposed to do with his child …. Over and over…. I can't even sleep, because I'm too scared of seeing him again… touching and violating me…. Over and over… no matter how much I cried and begged for him to stop…"

Merle and Daryl turned to her in total shock. What man would do that to his daughter? Any man that did that wasn't a man at all. She never lifted her head and still, she didn't cry. Her voice trembled and broke. She sounded like she could barely breathe. She hugged her arms around herself hands clasped on her upper arms and fingers digging into the leather of her jacket, her nails scraping against the supple material. This is the most vulnerable she had been in a long time…she hated it… she hated not being in control of her emotions when in that dark place. Those feelings of misery ensnared and suffocated her.

"He hurt me so bad… I felt so disgusting… I screamed and cried for my mother and she didn't help me… I don't think she _could've_. She was always so drugged up, she had no idea what was happening. I ran away when I was six years old and lived on the streets for a few years…. The last time I saw their faces, I was nine. I passed by a diner and I saw their faces on the news… murder-suicide…. I guess my mother finally got sick of it all."

No one had noticed that Carol and Dale had been standing behind Thaliana as she shared her story.

"Oh, God, Thaliana…" Carol sobbed quietly.

Merle and Daryl looked up, but Thaliana froze. She had no idea anyone was behind her. This is a big reason why she doesn't like to go to that horrid place in her mind; it messes her up and throws her off.

"That's why you're afraid of being close to people." Dale said gently. "You have to know that none of that was your fault."

"But I still live with the pain…" Thaliana couldn't hold the tears back any more. They streamed down her face profusely. This was embarrassing to her, crying like this. She felt like she was being weak.

Carol began to reach out to Thaliana, but quickly noticed her shrinking away. Carol pulled back her hand, realizing that it would be best not to overwhelm her.

"Please don't tell anyone; I don't want to talk about it again." Thaliana asked quietly as she looked back toward the water hole and wiped her face with her towel. "Please promise me that you guys won't say a word about any of this to anyone."

"Promise." Daryl uttered gently.

They all promised to keep it under wraps. It was easy to feel sorry, but to see her now – as strong and courageous as she is… it's not hard to admire her either.

….

Carl was walking back to his and his mother's part of the camp and he sat down quietly beside his mother. Lori turned to him with a smile, about to greet him when she saw his face; it was a rather solemn expression, almost sad. Lori wrapped her arm around Carl's shoulders and pulled him closer to her.

"You okay, buddy?" Lori queried warmly. She rubbed his upper arm a little bit. His expression didn't improve. Now Lori was starting to really worry.

"Carl? Honey, are you all right?"

"What if…" Carl started. He had to think about how to put what he was thinking into words. "What if… you knew something about someone? Something terrible. And you knew that they didn't want anyone to know?"

xxxxxxxxxx

_Carl can never stay put, can he? Sooooo…. what do you think will happen next? What do you want to have happen next? Am I even doing a good job?_

_I really hope everyone that's reading and following along as the story unfolds is enjoying the journey. Please feel free to review – I can only become stronger if I know what you like and what I need to fix._

_Thank you as always for sticking with me! _


	6. Are We Friends?

_I had to repost this chapter this morning. I was dead tired when I uploaded this and….Holy Mother, I freaked when I saw all the typos I didn't see last night. I apologize to all who read the atrocious mess of a chapter. Here is the edited, __slightly enhanced__, Chapter 6. If any characters are TOO OCC – don't be afraid to let me know if I don't happen to catch it._

_I do not own TWD… unless the DVDs count…. I don't own those either…._

….

**Are We Friends?**

Thaliana stood with Dale on top of the RV for morning watch. Usually, she was on the late patrol, since she's been having trouble sleeping. But Merle had actually stepped in to take over for the night.

"Deputy's sendin' the dream team on a 'nother run tomorrow afternoon" he said "don't want your ass slowin' us down 'cause you didn't rest up." He said with that simper that seemed permanently plastered onto his face sometimes.

The young woman just gave the slightest smirk. She figured it was Merle's way of telling her to try and get some sleep. "Don't let the walkers bite, right?" She shot back, making Merle's grin grow.

Thaliana still couldn't sleep. Her father haunted her, suffocating her with his wrath. So much so that each time Thaliana woke up that night, her chest hurt as if she hadn't breathed for hours. Eventually, Thaliana decided that she'd stargaze on the roof of her car. After a while, she found herself humming, and then eventually singing to herself in her inherited tongue until her shift started.

Thaliana's shift was just about to end when Carol called up to her and asked if she wanted to come down to the embankment with the women.

"I can't; I have to go on a supply run after my shift ends…sorry."

"Maybe Glenn or Shane could take over for you?"

Thaliana squinted as she viewed the trees in the distance. The sun was particularly strong today and she could barely see the trees to the north of her.

"Do they even want me there?" Thaliana asked rather bluntly.

Carol gazed into the more shaded part of the woods before looking back at the young woman.

"I do." She answered kindly.

Thaliana turned to Carol, but said nothing.

"I think that if they get to know you, they'll see you differently. Merle and Daryl did."

Before Thaliana could say anything else, Daryl called out to her as he walked closer to the RV. He asked if she was ready to head out. The young woman looked back to Carol.

"Maybe tomorrow."

Carol smiled a bit, glad that Thaliana was going to take a chance and let the group get to know her. She nodded her agreement…. Even if it sounded like torture to Thaliana.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, Thaliana; sometimes just being around other people is good, you know?"

Thaliana climbed down the RV as Carol talked, stopping a few feet away from Carol and nodding in understanding. She knew she probably wasn't going to have much, if anything, in common with any of those women. So she decided she wasn't going to say anything, just sit and observe.

"I put your bag n' the van." Daryl stated. Thaliana had forgotten that she put her bag on top of her Maybach. "Gotta go." He reminded. Daryl and Thaliana made their goodbyes and headed over to the van. As the two of them got closer to the vehicle, Thaliana looked at the ground and saw a shorter shadow behind her and recognized the silhouette.

"Shouldn't you be with your mother or Shane, Young Grimes? You're not supposed to be around me."

"Sophia gets to hang out around you." Carl remarked.

"Her mother says it's okay."

"I just wanted to talk to you about something."

Thaliana stopped when she had her hand on the open van door. She turned her head to look at the boy over her shoulder.

"I don't really have time to talk."

"Well, really … I just wanted to tell you something." He said shyly.

"What is it?" Thaliana asked plainly, looking toward Lori's part of the camp, where the later mentioned was talking to Shane.

"I… I was in the woods when you told Dale, Carol, and the Dixons your secret."

Thaliana slowly turned her eyes to the boy but said nothing. Her countenance expressionless.

"I didn't tell anyone about it… and I won't, if you don't want me to."

"…I appreciate you telling me that." she nodded. Her face showed a nuance of kindness

The boy nodded and smiled a little. She didn't seem like the big monster that a lot of the grown-ups said she was. In a flash he ran back over to his mother and Thaliana got in the van. It was silent in the van for a bit until Merle, who was sitting in the first passenger row spoke up.

"You okay, city girl?" he asked quietly.

Thaliana nodded as she put on her sunglasses. "I'm fine." She answered as she adjusted herself in her seat to get comfortable. "Let's get gone." She added.

Daryl smirked, starting engine and driving off.

Lori had noticed that Carl was running from where the van was before it took off. She hugged him and asked if everything was okay. Carl still had the small smile on his face when he told her everything was fine and mentioned that Thaliana isn't scary – that she's actually pretty cool. Lori smiled a little bit, telling Carl that she's glad everything is okay and told him to and play with Sophia, Eliza and Louis. As she watched him run toward the other children, her smile faded significantly. She turned back toward Shane.

"Maybe Carol's right."

"About what?" Shane asked in confusion.

"Giving Thaliana a chance." She answered "All of the kids at some point or another have asked why they can talk or be around everyone else but her and the Dixons."

"The Dixons, Lori?" Shane said.

"Well, I'm … _definitely _very wary of Merle and Daryl, since they cause trouble. Thaliana's pretty much kept to herself since coming here and her skills have been nothing but beneficial for all of us. Sometimes, I look at her and I feel bad... and guilty about how I treated her – how pretty much all of us had treated her after Ed said he recognized her from a long time ago."

"Yeah. He said somethin' about seein' her pass by in a tavern he went to a lot. She grazed past somebody as she left. After about an hour, he saw the person – lookin' like they were havin' a heart attack. When the cops questioned Ed, he said he saw her, but no one else did… and there wasn't any evidence left behind, just a pinprick on the back o' his neck with traces of Aconite found only around the puncture site. The next day, headlines read: "Druglord Medran Šutalo: Mysterious Death." Or somethin' like that." Shane chuckled "Ed damn near sounded like he was singin' her praises. Some of the boys at the station were taken by her, too; Took 'im out an' vanished without a trace."

"She admitted without hesitation that it was her, very early in her career – when she was 14. God, she wasn't much older than Carl… that had to have been such a lonely life." Lori sighed.

Shane stood behind Lori and placed his hands on her shoulders, caressing them and offering Lori comfort. Lori sighed again and Carl and the other kids playing in the distance.

"Maybe you should talk to her after she comes back." Shane suggested.

Lori nodded and folded her arms as she went to pick up a basket full of dirty laundry to wash at the embankment.

….

The ride in the van was painfully silent. More so than their hunting treks. On their trip they came across an abandoned produce farm. They decided to pull in and see if there was anything there. They got out the van, all three of them strapped with their weapons. They walked around to the back of the large house on the farm and saw beautiful crops that were more than ready to be picked, as well as a fruit orchard. This area must have been abandoned only recently. Merle spotted piles of wooden crates by the back porch of the house. Together they made their way over.

"I'm running low on seizure medication; I've had to up the dosage since all this started." Thaliana said.

"How much more you got left?" Merle inquired, actually sounding a bit worried.

"About 7 days, I think." Thaliana answered "I can't wait too much longer. I don't want to risk… checking out during a walker attack. I could end up causing someone to get killed besides me."

Thaliana sighed to herself and grabbed an empty wooden crate. Daryl seemed concerned, as well. The environment nowadays is already stressful and now she's stressing about her medication as well as some other things that happened today at camp. She's not supposed to be doing this.

"There's a clinic a few miles out." Daryl suggested. "We can check that one out after we're done here."

Thaliana nodded, still looking at the floor of the crate. Merle moved closer to the young woman.

"We gonna get your medicine; don't worry 'bout nuthin'." He offered.

Thaliana looked up at Merle and then Daryl. For the first time… she smiled. A genuine smile appeared on her face. It was small… but it could light up a room.

"Thanks, guys." She said softly.

"Team gotta look out for each other, right?" Daryl smirked, nudging her arm a little with his elbow.

Thaliana froze. Daryl had forgotten that she hadn't even so much as shaken another person's hand since she ran away from home. There was a flash of shock on her face and her body stiffened.

"Shit." The younger Dixon muttered "Sorry, bout that."

"No, it's…. it's okay." She interjected quickly "It's okay. I'll just, uh….. I'm-I'm gonna go…." It was all she could think to utter as she made a beeline for the orchard.

Daryl began to go after her, but Merle gently clasped his shoulder.

"Give 'er time to process, baby brother." Merle advised "That was some new shit for her."

Daryl registered his brother's words as he watched Thaliana disappear into the fruit trees. Thaliana surprised herself. She was actually okay with the contact. That fear, that prickly, anxious, almost claustrophobic feeling she experienced when someone _tried_ to touch her… it didn't happen. Although she was taken by surprise… she was okay for the most part.

As she picked through the berry plants, she thought. From what she recalled, friends did things like hug and stuff.

"Are we friends, though?" Thaliana wondered aloud.

Do they see her as a friend or just a member of a team? Maybe they just saw each other as people with a common bond – able to confide in each other because of it. This is new territory and she wasn't sure what to make of it. With a sigh, she decided to just forget it for now and gather food. That plan went out the window the moment she heard the familiar groaning and snarling of multiple walkers.

Immediately, she dropped the crate and pulled out her twin hooks. She strode aggressively toward the undead quintet and proceeded to eliminate the threat systematically. She hooked two of the walkers around their necks , decapitating them while in the same movement, stabbed two more in their heads with the daggers on the ends of her weapon before crossing the straight, razor-sharp edges of the hook swords and lopping the final zombie's head of like pruning scissors to a bush. Once that creature was felled, Thaliana saw about thirty more and they were closing the distance gap rather quickly. She abandoned the crate and ran toward the Dixons.

The moment they saw her rushing back with blood soaked weapons and spattered clothes and skin instead of a crate of fruit, they knew what was up and quickly dropped what they had and headed toward the van, which had a few walkers around it as well. Daryl took down two with his crossbow while Merle took dawn a set with his knife. Thaliana stabbed a couple with her favored blades and beheaded another before they all were able to get in the vehicle and peel off.

"That was fuckin' close…" Daryl muttered.

"Yeah." Merle exhaled "First time we left a place empty-handed." He chuckled.

Daryl turned to Thaliana, who looked like she was looking out her side of the windshield or thinking at first, but he noticed her eyes fluttering and her arm and head twitching. Immediately, he pulled over. Merle noticed her arms twitching as well as her unusual slumped posture. They were both were troubled by this, but were glad that it didn't happen until now; still, it was tough to watch. Even though it lasted only ten or fifteen seconds, it seemed like an eternity until Thaliana came back from the seizure. Slowly, she cracked open her eyes.

"The walkers…" she groaned.

"We left the farm, city girl." Merle said "Got out 'fore it got hairy."

Thaliana groaned again. Her eyes watered. Talking made her head hurt. The sunlight made her brain feel like it was going to explode. She cradled her head and curled up in her seat, turning inward, away from the windows as much as she could. Daryl turned the ignition and resumed driving.

"Shit…" Thaliana verbalized in a long whimper "Did I go under?" she asked almost inaudibly.

Daryl nodded, gripping the steering wheel. He heard the sharp breaths and the quiet whimpers as the van went over bumps in the road.

...

That's when I realized how much I care 'bout her. Seein' her like that an' not able to do anythin' to help. Felt horrible. If that can happen while on medication…she can't be without it. I decided to pull the van over. When I looked at her again, she still seemed so out of it. Must o' jus' come out another one.

"You need to lay down in one of the passenger rows; I'm comin' round to get you." I said.

I got out the car, hearin' her door open, too. As soon as I hopped out an' closed the door, I heard something land heavy against the gravel. Merle blurted out a solid "damn it" and scrambled to get out the van. Even though this wasn't a laughin' matter, I couldn't help but smirk to myself… Merle cared about her too.

….

Daryl rushed around the front of the car in time to see Thaliana, collapsed to her knees, puking up a little bit of clear fluid and Merle kneeling beside her.

"You okay?" Daryl asked. Thaliana nodded, wiping her mouth with her wrist.

"Can you stand?" Merle asked firmly.

Thaliana used the step-up on the van in order to stand. When she got up and tried to head toward the backseat, her legs gave way and Merle caught her before she fell again. As he sat her down on the step-up he became aware of her beginning to space out again.

"Stay with me, city girl." He murmured as he reached into her pack to get a bottle of water. He knew she always carried one, just in case she had to take a pill. When he looked in her pack again, he couldn't find her pill bottle.

"Her pocketwatch." Daryl stated, taking the water bottle from his older brother "She keeps an extra pill n' the lid."

Merle pulls the chain on her belt to get the watch out of her thigh pocket and opens the watch. Sure enough, there was a pill in there. Daryl twisted the cap off the bottle and handed to Merle.

"I… I've got it…" she finally said. Her voice was so weak, it was pitiful. Her shaking hand took hold of the water bottle and the other held the pill placed in her hand by the older Dixon. She brought her hand to her mouth and placed the pill on her tongue and swallowed it before taking three or four large gulps of water. After the plastic bottle left her lips, Merle took it and removed his over shirt to pour the rest of the water on it. Quickly and carefully, he proceeded to wipe the walker blood off her face. After that, she started to try to get up again; but Daryl just picked her up. She didn't want to be picked up… but she was too weak to fight. She hadn't had seizures this bad in many, many years. She didn't even hear Daryl talking as she went into another very brief seizure.

"We gonna get you more medicine, Thaliana… I promise." Daryl breathed as he climbed into the van. Merle closed the passenger doors behind Daryl and sat in the driver's seat.

Daryl carefully laid her onto the second passenger row and then climbed into the front passenger seat while Merle took started the ignition.

….

It was dark when the van came back. Camp fellows started to circle the van. Merle and Daryl said nothing as they got out the van. Dale noticed the agitated, worried looks on their faces.

"What happened?" he asked with uneasiness.

Dale got part of his answer when Daryl opened the rear passenger doors. Carol's mouth dropped when she saw Thaliana's feet hanging over the edge of the seat instead of her climbing out of the van. Daryl scooped the young woman out of her the seat and carried her over to Dale's RV, with Merle and Dale clearing a path through disquieted onlookers. Daryl could see her eyes fluttering and feel her arms twitching again.

"What the hell happened?!" Shane exclaimed as he and Lori ran up. "Was she bit?!"

"She's havin' seizures." Daryl said as calmly as he could.

"Does she have medication?" Lori asked with great concern.

"We got some from a clinic." He answered. "Between the front seats."

Daryl was finally able to get into the RV and proceeded to place her on the mattress in the back room. The entire night, Daryl, Merle, Dale, and Carol took turns sitting beside her. After a while, she finally stopped having seizures long enough to take another pill… and then they stopped. No more seizures for the night. She actually began breathing regularly for the first time since earlier in the afternoon. Soon, she was stable enough to leave by herself for a little while so she could rest peacefully until she was able to be up and mobile again.

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_That's it for this one! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I should have a new chapter within the next few days._

_As always – thank you for sticking with me! _


	7. Before the End

_This just came to me just after I woke up this morning. It seemed appropriate to give a glimpse into what Thaliana was doing in the days before the world ended._

_Please enjoy!_

….

**Before The End**

Thaliana decided to untwist her long hair and wear it in curls today, figuring it would look nice with her short, turquoise cardigan, white tank and cantaloupe high-waist skirt. Today she was going to set out to change her life. No more killing. She was done with that life and made more than enough money doing it. She was tired of not having a home; constantly traveling meant hotels. It meant having to stay with Phineas Wade when she wasn't working. Even after living with him for eleven years, he was still a stranger to her – a frighteningly dangerous stranger. A man who adopted her simply to become his protégé.

He never talked to Thaliana unless he was teaching her how to operate and maintain different weapons or to make sure she was taking her studies seriously and excelling – She was homeschooled and had extracurricular activities of music – where she practiced the harp and piano, dance – where learned ballet, as well as latin and ballroom, martial arts – there, she learned Capoeira and Muy Thai. She was also required to learn at least 10 languages; so she learned Farsi, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin, Greek, Hindi, and Amharic – her inherited tongue. She had very little free time, aside from sleep; eventually, that free time was filled with parkour. She would watch videos and practice. She became quite proficient, enjoying the freedom it gave her.

Still, the love she sought was elusive. While Wade wasn't very fatherly in Thaliana's mind, she was thankful for him, as he always made sure she was clothed, fed, and in good health. He never laid a hand on her, never touched her in any way; for that reason – and it was a big enough reason, Thaliana considered him a better father than her real dad ever was.

"Why retire so young?" Wade asked. His voice was as gravelly as she remembered and made her body vibrate with every syllable he spoke, even though he was speaking through the phone. "You're only 25… a career like this; you can go on for a long time."

"I don't want that life, Father… and I don't need money." She replied. "I just… I need something more than that, you understand?" she said as she sat on the edge of her bed and put on a pair of bronze wedges

"It'll be hard to adjust." he warned "As an Assassin, you make enemies every time you take a shot."

This was true of all assassins; every time you take a shot, there are angry mob members, family members that wanted to find you and avenge their fallen. Though, Thaliana hadn't experienced this yet, even though she heard her "professional handle" on people's lips, no one could ever describe what she looked like accurately. She was described as everything from a 5'2" female with a shaven head wearing blacked-out goggles to a 6'0" male with hair as dark as midnight and eyes as bright as day. Still, she wasn't stupid.

"I know that retiring doesn't stop people from looking for me. I know I have to be careful."

"Then there's nothing more to be said… live well, be ever watchful, Miss Demissie."

"Thank you… Father." She said softly "For saving my life… and for everything."

She heard Phineas breathe lightly into the phone, sounding as if he was unsure of how to respond. Thaliana's shoulders sank a little. She wanted to hear, if only once, that the man loved her like a daughter, she'd even settle for and "I'm proud of you." but he said nothing and hung up. Thaliana's cell slowly moved from her ear to her bag. She received a call on the hotel room phone, letting her know her cab arrived. She thanked the concierge and proceeded to head to the waiting car.

She quickly hopped in the back seat. "1250 Piedmont Avenue, please." She requested.

She quietly watched the buildings and trees of Atlanta pass by as Thaliana waited to for the driver to get her to her destination. Her heart felt light when she thought about how wonderful it will be to live here. Soon, she reached her destination. She asked the driver to keep the meter running and thanked him for his services so far. After he helped her out of the cab, he found a place to park. Thaliana looked up at the little, house-like building and let out a huge breath before she went in. she was greeted warmly by the now familiar faces there and shown to the cafeteria where everyone was having breakfast.

"Emiko is right over there waiting for you, Miss Demissie; she was so excited when she learned you were coming to visit today." The woman said.

Thaliana nodded after the woman told her to go ahead and sit with her and then left the young woman to do just that. Eventually, she got to the little tablet she was sitting at. She wore a dress with a little cardigan, some leggings and converse sneakers and she had still had that red toy car she always carried with her.

"Hi, Miss Demissie!" the little girl exclaimed. She was always so full of energy when she saw Thaliana. She gave her a little grin and sat down.

"Good morning, Emiko;" Thaliana responded "How are you this morning?"

Emiko said she felt great and went on to tell her about all the stuff she did to get ready to meet her again, she even tried to trim her hair, but she ended up cutting too much in one rather large spot, so one of the employees took her to a salon to even out the rest. The little girl's hair was noticeably shorter and layered now, which the little girl said she liked even more than how her hair was before.

"Can I show you something?" Thaliana asked quietly, almost in a whisper "Can you keep it secret?" she added.

The little girl got up and whispered in her ear. "I'm _really_ good at keeping secrets." She said, which made Thaliana smirk.

She pulled out her camera and some memory sticks. Then she turned the camera on and selected a picture for the little girl to look at. It was a picture of the outside of a small mansion, not too far from the city.

"See this house?"

The girl nodded quickly and smiled.

"Tomorrow, these memory sticks will be full of pictures of the inside and in the afternoon, when I come by, I'll take you to lunch and I can show them all to you." Thaliana said. "One week from tomorrow, this house will be _our home_… and you can finally come live with me."

The two year-old almost squealed in joy upon hearing she will be able to live with her new mother in just a few days. But she calmed down when Thaliana reminded her that it had to be their little secret until it was time to share with everyone else. Clearly, she could barely contain her excitement, but she promised to keep it to herself. Emiko almost flung her arms around Thaliana, but then remembered that the woman had a thing about being touched. She also remembered Thaliana saying that she was working on it so that she could be the best mom possible for her, which gave the little girl comfort.

"Are we still going to the 'moo-seum' today, Miss Demissie?"

"We're still going to the _museum_, yes, my darling girl." she mused with yet another playful smirk. "Are you ready? The cab driver's waiting for us."

The cab driver perked up when he saw Thaliana and the little girl emerge from the entrance. He pulled up and jumped out the car to open the door for the two lovely ladies. As they rode to the museum, Thaliana looked at the girl who was happily staring out of her window, watching the city get bigger as they rode closer. Thaliana was convinced that this was the life she wanted. A home of her own in a quiet neighborhood, a child to raise and give all the love she never received growing up.

That was all Thaliana wanted…. But the next day, she realized she could never have it.

Dressed in dark pants, biker boots, a t-shirt, scarf, and cropped leather jacket, hair back in twists, Thaliana left her hotel room. She noticed something was wrong when she saw blood streaked on the walls, looking as though a hand dragged along it, clawing at it desperately. Thaliana immediately packed her bag and picked up her large metal case and left the hotel via the roof. When thaliana burst through the door, all she heard was blood curdling screaming and crying from below. Carefully, Thaliana peered over the edge only to find chaos and mayhem. People running, guns being fired… and people eating other people. At first she couldn't believe her eyes. Then she really couldn't believe it when she saw that those that were eating living people had already been eaten by something else like them.

Thaliana cursed inwardly. A zombie apocalypse. She couldn't believe it. She dared not linger long as her mindset shifted to Emiko. Her little girl is probably frightened. She had to get out of the city and she had to get weapons quickly. Thaliana transferred from rooftop to rooftop until she found the hotel parking lot. She dropped down from the roof and grabbed the next ledge so see could climb in. as fast as her legs could take her, she ran and ran until she found her Maybach and unlocked the door. No sooner than she did this, a walker snuck up behind her and almost grabbed her up, until she seized its arm tripped it with her leg before bringing the heel of the same leg down on its head with all of her weight and force she could muster. if she had the time, she would've grimaced at the sight of its brains bursting out. She opened up a compartment under her steering wheel and pulled out a revolver, quickly drawing and firing on the second advancing zombie, with a bullet straight to the brain. She scrambled into the car and began to drive, seeking out the least crowded streets and weaving through undead and panickers alike. Thaliana had no time to stop, not until she knew she could get her hands on more weapons besides her Remy 700 and her revolver, not until found her child. When she finally got to the area of the adoption center, it was too quiet. Thaliana parked and pulled out 2 stocked rifles that she grabbed from a pawn shop she happened to pass on the way, along with a belt of knives. She shot the walkers outside, some of whom were eating people that Thaliana recognized as the cheerful employees there.

Thaliana ran inside. She searched every room – killed every walker… all she found was a little red car and no Emiko. The young woman ran back outside – calling for Emiko… crying and calling for her baby. After a few moments, Thaliana got back in her car. She knocked over gas stations and mom-n-pop shops for food and supplies… she even found a surprisingly abandoned Wal-Mart and stocked up on a lot of things: weapons, clothes and shoes, toiletries, water and food – whatever she could stuff into her trunk and backseat.

For weeks, Thaliana drove the roads, trekked the woods, killing zombies and searching for Emiko – eventually running into Dale and Shane. By this time, she'd given up hope. She was so heartbroken over failing Emiko that she became withdrawn.

Life was going to be perfect; a beautiful house and a daughter to share it with….

But that was before the end.

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_This chapter came out of nowhere! I really hope the story is flowing well for you all. _

_As always; thanks for sticking with me! _


	8. Gone: Thaliana and Daryl

_So now we're getting into more of the storyline. I'm really going to do my best to keep the focus on the story's core characters and their interactions._

_I don't own TWD._

_Enjoy!_

**...**

**Gone: Thaliana and Daryl**

Thaliana hadn't moved since I put her in the RV. The four o'us took turns watchin' her an' were relieved when the seizures stopped. Carol always looked the most worried, like a mother would for a child; sometimes she'd say she felt like she added to Thaliana's stress. Dale'd always check her wrists to make sure she wasn't fadin', check her for fevers an' such. He was kind to let her stay there 'til she came to; he'd just sleep in the eatin' area, which I figure _had_ to be killin' that old man's back, but he never complained. Merle? Merle'd get frustrated an' storm out the RV after a pacin' back n' forth for a while. One time, I was walkin' by and I heard 'im.

"Tryin' t' make me feel sorry for you n' shit…" he said "You s'posed t' be stronger than this. You s'posed t' be the bad-ass gun."

I started to walk in, but I hesitated when he started talking again. Pacin' back an' forth like he usually did.

"Two days you been like this, girl; I'm startin' t' think you ain't as strong as I first thought."

Then he stopped walkin' an' it was quiet. I got in the RV. Brother mus' not of heard me. He was still lookin' at her, leaning closer to her.

"Prove me wrong, Thaliana." He whispered harshly "Prove me fuckin' wrong n' wake the fuck up."

When she didn't move, he punched a dent in the wall, cursed when he realized it an' stormed off. When he finally saw I was there, he looked me dead in my eye.

"If she don't get up, she's a weak –ass punk. Matter fact, if she gets up n' I ain't here – _you _tell 'er _I_ said she a weak-ass punk." He shouted.

To everyone else that watched 'im walk off, he sounded furious… but I knew he was worried. More worried than he'd ever let on.

As for me, I jus' sat there quietly for the most part. Sometimes, I'd tell 'er some stories from my life – my first hunt, getting' lost in the woods. Dale gave me a book o' poems that she had been readin'; said she scrapped all her favorite ones together. I couldn't begin to describe how big it was. There were ones about hope, love, death, family and redemption. It was… interestin', I guess. B'fore I knew it, I started readin' 'em to her… n' kept readin' 'til Dale told me I'd been sittin' n' readin' for hours.

I don't know why, but I jus' looked at her for a while. She seemed like she was finally at peace inside. 'Bout time she got some damn rest. I jus' wish it didn't happen like this.

….

The sunlight poured into the little window over the bed in Dale's RV. Thaliana inhaled deeply and exhaled as her eyes opened slowly. Thaliana could tell it was early morning, due to the camp being extra quiet. She looked around quickly assessing where she was and sighed. Her head still hurt a little, but she was grateful that it wasn't as bad as before. It was quiet in the RV and she didn't see anyone else; from what she could tell, she was alone. She started singing quietly to herself in Amharic. The same song she usually sang in that language. It was kind of a morning habit. She had no idea that Daryl was camped out on the floor; he just listened quietly until she stopped.

"Was that Ethiopian?" Daryl asked quietly, sitting up.

"Amharic." She answered hesitantly, looking confused. "Why… were you sleeping on the floor?" she found it pretty odd that he was there. If she had sat up, she would have seen him…. and she wouldn't have been able to get out of the bed until he moved.

Daryl got up and moved the chair closer to the bed so he could sit down. "Was worried…" he muttered "you were out for three days." He stretched his back and sat down in the chair. "I thought you were Ethiopian."

"I am, the language is called 'Amharic'" she answered gently. Thaliana immediately had a look of disbelief "Three days?" she whispered. Daryl nodded "You had a lot o' us scared." He added.

She looked at Daryl who exhaled a heavy sigh and looked at her. She could tell he hadn't slept much, but he had this look of relief on his face as well. Thaliana turned her eyes to the quilt that was over her legs and began fiddling with her fingers.

"You okay?" Daryl asked.

Thaliana nodded and stared out the window for a bit. People started emerging from their tents and cars to begin their day.

"I'm sorry for making you guys worry… and thanks." She finally said. "Three days? Really?" she asked again.

Daryl chuckled a little "Three solid." He replied. "Merle took it the worst."

"Oh, really…" the young woman scoffed out a chuckle.

"Yeah;" Daryl answered with a little smile "after two days, he punched that dent in the wall and walked to me, shoutin' 'If she don't get up, she's a weak-ass punk; If I ain't here an' she wakes up – you tell 'er I said she's a weak-ass punk!"

By the time he finished saying this, Thaliana was having a little laughing fit of her own; the image of Merle storming off like that tickled her so. She actually laughed. It was more on the quiet side, but still… she laughed. Daryl had never heard or saw that from her before. It was the cutest thing, he thought: when she tried to breathe in, she made these little squeaks that almost sounded like hiccups… and it was infectious as he ended up quite amused by the sound.

"Holy crap." She sighed "That… felt good. That really felt good."

Daryl nodded in agreement. Thaliana sat up and asked where Merle was.

"Shane sent him on a run with some other people: Merle was extra pissed" Daryl said, scratching the back of his neck "I'm worried, though; he started poppin' pills an' stuff again. He's really stressin' out."

"Because of me?" Thaliana enquired. Suddenly, Merle's worrying wasn't funny anymore. She brought her knees to her chest and rested her forearms on them. she had noticed him using a lot less. If he started up again because of her, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

"Don't do that." Daryl said "He's been strugglin' with his demons for years; that's somethin' he's gotta work on… ain't got nothin' to do with you."

The younger Dixon got up and slung his crossbow over his shoulder.

"I'm gonna see if I can finally get a damn deer… you keep restin'; Shane told ev'rybody to let you recover today, so don't go runnin' around tryin' to do shit or I'll break your legs." Daryl stated with a smirk.

"You threatening me, country?" Thaliana smirked back.

"I'll do it, if it'll get you to rest, big city." He shot back with a grin. He turned on his heels and walked out of the trailer with a small smile on his face.

"She's awake?" Carol asked quietly.

Daryl nodded, which made Carol smile. Noticing Daryl's crossbow, she wished him good luck on his hunt and went in to check on Thaliana. This was the first hunt since he got to the camp that he'd be alone. It hadn't been like that for a while, but he was okay with it. he walked past the cars and the other survivors and made his way into the woods.

….

Three days, an' that damn girl was still out cold, far as I knew. Damn her to fuckin' hell for makin' me worry like this. I don't give a steamin' shit about these people an' I gotta go on a supply run with 'em. Lookin' at 'em, I already know they don't know how to operate like the crew I run with – we know how to get shit done an' come back with the goods. Now I gotta work with fuckin' Short Round, the beaner, that sorry excuse of a nigger, and that stuck-up blonde bitch. Fuck these people.

N' that Fuckin' Deputy… sendin' me out here with these fuck-ups. Asshole. Shit, I'll tear _him_ a new asshole when I get back. Let somebody say sumthin' to me now – I will fuckin' end them.

….

Merle didn't count on the sheriff coming in and joining the group. He didn't know the man would sneak attack him while he was getting into it with T-Dog. He certainly didn't think he'd be getting cuffed to a pipe on the roof and then just leaving him there after T-Dog dropped the key.

….

After finding Dale and thanking him for putting me up, and Carol for her part in caring for me, I decided to sit on the roof of my car and enjoy the cool breeze, since I was inside so long. As I made my way there people smiled at me and asked how I'm doing. It was weird… but it was nice. Once I made it to the Maybach, I realized how much I was really enjoying the gentle breeze and the day was too beautiful to waste just sitting on the roof of my car. So, I decided to do a bit of stretching, to prepare for some parkour… haven't done that in a while… for fun.

After a decent half-hour stretch, I took my iPod and headphones, set up my playlist and just took off – jumping and flipping over cars and boulders, handstands, using fallen trees for balance beams. This is the least stressed I've been in some time and it felt great. it wasn't until I was done that I realized a had a little audience. The kids seemed to really like what I was doing, some even wanted to learn. I told them they would have to see if it was okay with their parents.

In a flash, they dispersed and I went to open the door to get my medication. I remember Daryl telling me he put the rest of my medicine in there and put my car keys in my jacket pocket. I had to go back to Dale's RV and get my jacket. When I turned around, Ed was standing near me. I started to feel that suffocating, prickly feeling again. I never felt comfortable around him. Other than the abuse – for this I already didn't like him, I always felt something was off with him since I met him. He reminded me of my birth father somehow.

"Good afternoon, Peletier." I said firmly, making for the RV as fast as I could.

"Afternoon." He said with a grin. If you could feel a person's aura – I could guarantee his felt like slime.

He followed me, talking about how he followed and admired my work as an assassin and mercenary – how he just _knew_ certain mystery killings in the papers were me. It was fucking creepy – I usually don't go for the harsh profanities, but it was fucking creepy; maybe 4 of the dozens he cranked out of his memory were actually me. All of the ones he mentioned used poison, but I normally used my darling Remy. I preferred distance – less chance of leaving evidence at the scene. He kept talking and I ignored him, even though I could feel his eyes on me.

I just wanted to get away. I wanted him to stop talking to me. He followed me everywhere and I think Shane noticed. I opened my front passenger door and got my medication and took it quickly with a bottle of water. I decided to get my weapons out of the trunk and track Daryl down – hopefully to deter him without a physical conflict.

"The fact that you were such a bad-ass since you were 14… amazing."

That was when I lost it. This creep brazenly placed his hand on my behind. Just slapped his disgusting hand on my backside! The moment he did that, I grabbed his arm and twisted it as I kicked my left leg into his stupid neck and knocked him down to the ground. His throat was pinned under my leg and his arm just a half turn away from being broken or dislocated. He screamed in pain as Shane, Carl, Dale, Carol, and several others came running.

"If you ever do that again – if you _ever _do something like grab my ass again, I will destroy every bone, every ligament and muscle in this arm!"

I twisted his arm just a little to get my point across. "Am I clear?!"

Just twisting the little bit produced so much agony. He screamed for help. Begging to have "this crazy bitch" pulled off of him. I pulled his arm this time to get him to answer.

"Am I Clear?!"

"YES! YES, I UNDERSTAND!"

Shane got ready to pull me off of Ed, but I moved myself… I didn't want anyone else touching me. The Deputy sighed asked me if I was okay. I folded my arms and looked at Shane.

"If he puts his hands on me again, I won't hold back." I said harshly.

….

I wasn't really shocked that my husband did that, and I'm glad she responded how she did. I've seen the way he looks at Thaliana… it's the same way he looks at Sophia. Hearing Thaliana's story reaffirmed what I had been seeing in Ed. I actually thought it was kind of nice to see a woman put him in his place. I want my daughter to be strong and courageous like her… but what Thaliana had endured to get to that place… I don't want my baby to go down that road. I also don't want Thaliana to feel like she has to carry that shame; it's such a heavy burden to shoulder, especially when it isn't yours to bear. It's hard… it's such a hard and lonely road. If anything, I hope Thaliana knows that she has people that care about her now and she doesn't have to struggle with that weight alone.

"I'm sorry for what Ed did to you; I don't blame you in any way for how you reacted." I told her.

"Don't apologize for him." she sighed as she hopped off the roof of her car. "You shouldn't have to run behind him trying to fix his messes, Carol."

I just nodded. I watched her as she folded her arms around herself again like in the wood. He brought her back to that dark place… I saw it in her eyes. I just hugged her. I knew she had a fear of people getting close to her, touching her… but she just… needed one, I thought.

She had this wide-eyed look on her face and her body became as stiff as a board. It made me sad that something like a hug was more foreign to her than pain.

"You have to know that…" I started "You have to know that not everyone is out to hurt you, Thaliana; not every touch is meant to cause pain."

She seemed to relax a little, which I was glad for. I think she needed to hear that.

….

Thaliana was on the RV roof when all the commotion broke out. The group had returned, minus Merle and Plus some guy that turned out to be Lori's husband and Carl's father. Thaliana didn't judge nor did she care; whatever was going on with Shane and Lori wasn't her business. She was worried, though… Merle didn't come back. That bruiser couldn't have been brought down by a walker, she refused to believe that. Where was he? Thaliana knew how much Merle cared about Daryl – he wouldn't just leave him like that.

"What the hell went on?" Thaliana murmured to herself.

Almost like clockwork, Daryl came back from his hunt… no deer, but quite a few questions when he didn't see Merle. Soon enough, he got his answer and it really wasn't what he wanted to hear. He was furious enough to kill, but didn't.

"These assholes are gonna take me to Merle, an' when I bring 'im back, we gonna split!" he muttered to Thaliana after pulling her aside "You more then welcome to come with, big city."

"I'm not too sure about that idea, Dixon."

"You wanna stay with people that don't want us here, girl?"

"I'm saying we should stay where the numbers are; what if the three of us come across a herd and end up trapped?"

Daryl turned and took a few steps away from Thaliana. He was angry and frustrated. He saw her point; numbers were important for survival. But most of these people would more likely cause someone to get killed than help. He heard the earth crunching under her feet a little as she moved a little closer to him.

"I think we should talk some more when you've come back; this way you would've had some time to think about it." Thaliana suggested "If you and Merle still want to leave… I'll go with you."

The younger Dixon turned around and looked at her. She was sincere and honest, something that was increasingly rare; he liked that about her. After a few moments, Daryl nodded in agreement and went to retrieve his brother.

….

Night fell. Daryl and the other guys hadn't made it back and Thaliana was getting worried. They needed to do right by Daryl and get his brother back, but it left the camp thin on defense… it shouldn't have taken this long. She stayed topside on the RV slowly walking back and forth. Everybody was enjoying each other's company and bonding… except Ed. After Shane nearly beat him to a pulp for hitting Carol, he didn't dare come back out.

It was quiet until, someone let out a blood-curdling scream. In the time it took to blink, there were walkers everywhere. Those that were able, stood firm and fought back. Those who couldn't tried to get somewhere safe. Thaliana's Remington ran out of ammo and it was too risky to run to her car to get more. Grabbing her twin hooks, Thaliana jumped down into the fray. Decapitating walkers and stabbing them in their heads. She had to keep going, had to eliminate the threat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daryl and the others pile out of the vehicle they came back in. Daryl's first shot was at a zombie behind Thaliana that she was about to stab. Immediately, she pulled the arrow and tossed it back to the younger Dixon, but not before putting down a zombie that emerged at his rear right via launching a bowie knife. Everyone that could fight did so until there were no more walkers.

"You okay?" Daryl quickly asked he stared at her with worry, looking for signs of seizure.

Thaliana nodded and told him she was fine. She had noticed that she hadn't seen Merle since Daryl got back. When she looked back at him, he shook his head.

"He cut off his hand an' ran for it." He said "He's still alive out there… "

He turned his eyes away from her and rubbed the back of his neck. Thaliana crossed her arms and started moving a pebble around with the toe of her boot.

"… Do you still want to leave?" she said, looking at him.

He stared out to the trees and bit his lip, still thinking. Finally, he turned back to Thaliana, shaking his head.

"It's gotten bad… an' we clearly ain't stayin' here no more." he said "We'd have a better chance if we stayed like you said. We can still look for 'im, but as far as goin' back? We made good on our end. He's alive – you n' I both know it. We'll come across 'im soon enough."

"Okay." Thaliana responded after a while. "You get some rest."

"Likewise… See you n' the mornin'" Daryl answered.

...

The morning sun brought with it the true, grisly aftermath of the night before. The dirt was caked in the blood of the undead as well as the living and there were bodies everywhere. So many walkers were killed. But for every few walkers, there was a member of the group that had been killed: Carol lost Ed; Andrea lost her little sister, among others that have died. We put down our dead and buried them. Those that were undead were put down and burned. Still there was no sign of Merle. It was discovered that Jim had been bitten, but my concern was mostly on Daryl. He was a little distant; he didn't say a word to anyone this morning. I just chalked it up to him being worried about his big brother. To be honest, I was worried, too. But I didn't want to bother him… he had enough on his mind right now.

The new guy, Rick, said that we might find some shelter and answers at the CDC or something. A government building sounded safe, but I wasn't too sure if they'd be keen on letting civilians in after so much time has passed since the outbreak. At this point anywhere would be better than here. We were too exposed and the walkers have started moving out of the cities in search of food.

As we weighed the pros and cons, it seemed the CDC was our best bet.

Before we knew it, the hill top was vacated.

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_That's it for this one! The next chapter will be Merle's side of 'Gone'._

_This was a long one and I am so glad you all seem to be enjoying this, I mean 300 views?! in a week?!_

_I'm over the moon because of you guys!_

_As always, thank you for sticking with me_

_Catch you later!_


	9. Gone: Merle

_This is a very short chapter, as Merle is by his lonesome_

_I don't own TWD_

_Please enjoy!_

...

**Gone: Merle**

"Those fucks. Fuckin' left my ass to die on that damned roof." Merle muttered. "I'm gonna kill that damn cop n' that fuckin' black son of a bitch. I'm determined to find 'em and kill 'em for this fuckery. Maybe I'll saw off their fuckin' hands first…" He spat. "I hope Daryl raised hell…"

Merle was wandering the empty streets of the city, grabbing supplies and weapons where he could. Though his profanity-laced mutterings of revenge against Rick and T-Dog were consistently streaming out of his mouth, his thoughts were mainly on getting back to Daryl and Thaliana. Daryl was all Merle had left from the world he knew, the only family he really cared about. Then Thaliana came into the picture. He wanted to hate her, he wanted to keep hating her… but those supply runs sparked something, all those hunting treks strengthened it. That moment in the woods, when he and Daryl saw her scars solidified it and made it unbreakable. He'd never show it, but seeing her go through the seizures terrified him.

He stopped in his tracks and started laughing. He cared about someone else other than himself and his brother… a black woman. Thaliana is sharper than any person he'd ever met, as deadly and dangerous as him and Daryl, a skilled killer. Spoke rarely, but truthfully – uncaring of what people thought of her. Underneath all that, though, was someone fragile and damaged. She was just like them and yet so radically different… and he liked that bout her. He cared about this young black woman like… family. Merle's barks of laughter turned into howls. Family…. This girl was family to him.

"Shit, the world really _has_ come to a fuckin' end." He chortled "Fuck me."

By the time he finished packing up a car, he noticed that it was dark. He didn't care to stay in the city, though. It was too big and who knows how many walkers were still traipsing around. The last thing he wanted was to take on a herd. So he got in the car and drove off to find the camp. It seemed like every way he knew to get there was blocked off by cars or walker herds. It got to a point where he had to just take shelter in an abandoned house. He was thankful it still had functioning utilities. He made himself a hot meal, took a warm shower and slept the best sleep he had since the world went to shit.

The next morning, he set out to find an unobstructed road that led to the camp. It took him a whole day of driving and back tracking, stopping for more supplies and pee breaks, but he finally managed to find a herdless, unblocked road that he knew led straight to the camp. He was going make T-Dog and Rick pay for leaving him on that roof, he was going to take his family and they were going to leave.

"We know how t' survive." Merle uttered "We goin' to survive…. fuck the rest of 'em."

As he turned the corner of the feeder road overlooking the camp, he saw that the place was empty. He punched the roof of the car and cursed incessantly. Everything, everyone in that camp was gone. He was pissed that Daryl didn't at least stay and hold up for him. Once Merle made it to the old campsite, he saw why. The smell of burnt corpses lingered. There was dried blood and chunks everywhere. He went over to another flat space and saw row after row of holes that were dug up; a lot of them were filled back in. The group had gotten significantly smaller and it wasn't safe there anymore.

Upon coming back to the main area, he looked to his left. He smirked to himself when he saw that Thaliana's Maybach was gone; it let him know she was up and about. He also noticed a pill bottle on the ground. The addict in him immediately thought to open it and see if there were any pills left to take. He picked up the bottle and that thought left his head quicker than it flew in when turned it to the label… "Zarontin"… it was Thaliana's medication. He looked inside and saw that the bottle was about a third of the way from empty. Still, he shoved the bottle in his pocket. Even though she had a couple of small boxes filled with the stuff, Thaliana needed every one of those pills.

Merle knew that it was going to be hard to find them, since the main roads were asphalt. He was going to find them, though. Come hell or high water, no matter what he had to do, he was going to get back to his family.

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_What do you guys think of the story so far? The bond amongst Thaliana, Merle, and Daryl? _

_I'm thinking of going back and forth between the main group and Merle until I get to Woodbury._

_Inching closer to 400 views (I'm just jazzed that people are reading my story this much) – Thank you so much, readers –new and returning!_


	10. Roommates

_Another long chapter. I don't normally post on weekends, because of work and school. However, seeing as I was pretty much finished with this chapter, I decided to go ahead and post this one._

_I don't own TWD_

_Please enjoy!_

….

**Roommates**

The trip to the CDC was a tough one. The Morales family parted ways with the rest of the survivors to get to family in Alabama before the campsite was even evacuated. Jim's condition was getting worse, so he asked to be left behind on the roadside. The group finally made it to the CDC, but was almost swarmed in the process. Thankfully, they were finally let in. it was shocking to find that there was only the one man, who introduced himself as Dr. Jenner. He tested everyone to make sure they weren't infected and showed them all to the living quarters. The knowledge of hot water being available was music to everyone's ears.

….

Thaliana picked the room that happened to be next to her. The décor was basic, but who was really going to complain about that? She left her biker boots outside the room door because they were so filthy. She was going to have to clean them later. The carpet felt quite soft under her feet, almost like no one had really walked on it. There was a roomy sitting area to her right with shelves and shelves of books. Thaliana's eyes lit up a little when she saw some interesting titles among them. When she checked out the bathroom, she was shocked and disappointed that the only door to the bathroom was the one that closed off the toilet from everything else; then she figured it was okay, since it was just her.

Thaliana used everything that she had that smelled like cherry blossoms and took a nice, long, warm shower. Body scrub, shower gel, lotion, body butter, and spritzer. If only for one day… she just wanted to smell really, really good. She even washed and blow-dried her hair, taking out her twists once they were mostly dry and moisturized. It felt amazing to be clean from head to toe. She put on fresh undergarments, a red, hooded t-shirt, clustered with Aerosmith album covers and some stretchy black skinny jeans with black-and-white striped socks that peeked over her grey X-Hi Converse sneakers. After setting up her headphones and iPod, she pulled a book from one of the shelves and curled up in one of the plush leather chairs.

….

Damn it to hell. That's what I get for snoopin' around. When I got back to where all the rooms were, they were all taken… an' I needed a shower. Shit, I can't even stand to be 'round _myself_ right about now. I had to find where Thaliana was roomin'. I didn't want anyone askin' me about my scars an' I knew Thaliana wouldn't. I knocked on one door an' Carol peeked out. I guess I knocked a little too loud, 'cause she told me Sophia was asleep. I apologized an' started to walk away, but Carol stopped me.

"Was there something you needed?"

"Uh … yeah."

There was an answer to that question, but it felt so damn weird to give. I didn't wanna spend a whole lot o' time knockin' on doors, though.

"Do you… know where Thaliana's room is?" I asked. Fuck, this was so fuckin' awkward.

"She's two doors back down from the one behind you." she told me.

That grin on Carol's face was exactly why this was so uncomfortable. I knew what she was thinkin'.

"Damn it, that ain't why I'm askin'!"

"If you say so, Daryl, then I'll leave it at that." she said.

Yeah, right. After she closed the door, I went over to Thaliana's room an' knocked.

"Just a minute." She answered.

….

Thaliana opened the door and Daryl almost did a double take. He was so used to seeing her hair in twists, pulled back in a ponytail and covered with that grey-green hat she always wore; now her head was just thick with long, dark curls. It looked nice on her, he thought. That's when he noticed her eyes and the steely, storm- grey that they were. It was almost haunting, how they stood out against her deep golden-olive skin and brown-black hair. It just echoed to him how unusual she is compared to other women.

Thaliana's eyebrow quirked at him; he stood there for a long time and hadn't said anything.

"Are you okay, country?" she asked.

It was enough to snap him out of his thoughts. He realized he was staring.

"Sorry, I jus'..."

"I know, it's… the hair's different – I'm just letting it air-dry."

Daryl had to stop himself from staring again and refocus on why he came there.

"All the other rooms were taken…. An' you're the only one here I feel comfortable around."

Daryl wanted to just shoot himself for how that came out, but it was true; they knew each other's pasts, if she happened to see the scars, he wouldn't have to explain them.

"I'm fiendin' for a shower, big city." Daryl joked "You mind at all?"

Thaliana stepped out of the door frame to allow him in the room and offered him a spot to set his things. Daryl noticed that the room smelled like whatever fragrance she was wearing. It smelled very spicy and floral to him… it suited her, he believed.

"Fair warning: There's no door except for the toilet." Thaliana remarked "I'll just go and look around the building so you can have privacy."

Daryl noticed that there was a book on the table in the sitting space and a small, disheveled blanket in one of the seats. He felt kinda bad that he was imposing on Thaliana, so he stopped her before she left.

"You ain't gotta put yourself out, if you don't wanna." Daryl replied "I'll jus' stay in the bathroom 'til I'm decent an' you can go back to readin' your book."

Thaliana turned back to the younger Dixon.

"Are you sure?" she asked

Daryl nodded and picked up his fresh clothes and soap and headed into the bathroom, while Thaliana went back to her book. Within moments, Thaliana could hear the shower running and the sound of the shower door closing. Thaliana continued to read her book and humming to herself after a while. Before long, the room started to smell of not just cherry blossoms, but leather and cardamom. Thaliana smiled a little bit, surprised at how well those scents melded together.

Daryl exhaled as the water ran over him. He pressed his left hand into the wall in front of him, leaning forward to let the water stream down his back. He smeared his right hand over his face. The warm water felt great over his sore muscles, but they didn't wash away his uncertainties. He knew his brother was alive, he didn't doubt that for a second, but he couldn't help worrying. He thought it best to talk about something else to try and shift out of that mindset.

"Judgin' by that sweet-ass ride o' yours, you were doin' pretty well, huh?"

Thaliana closed the book and placed it on the coffee table beside her. She gave a sigh as she crossed her legs and draped the over the chair's right arm and leaned her back against the left.

"Financially, yes;" Thaliana answered "I made 4 million per – 10 if I had to get information from the target, as well… you'd be surprised how often that happens."

"You said 'financially'," Daryl noted "take it you weren't happy."

"After my first hit… I threw up and had nightmares. I wanted to quit after that, but… even though he never said it, he seemed proud of me."

Daryl turned off the shower and stepped out, toweling himself off.

"Who?"

"He's better known by his handle, LeSabre."

Thaliana picked up her iPod and put an earbud in her right ear and relaxed a bit more into the chair.

Daryl chuckled "No shittin'? My uncle used to talk 'bout stuff he heard from other folk. From what he said, LeSabre's the be all to end all if you want it done. So he took you in, huh?"

"In the hopes of grooming me to be his successor… I think he was disappointed when I told him I was retiring. Still, I'm… I'm thankful to him for taking me in and teaching me his trade."

By this time, Daryl was buttoning his shirt after putting on everything else. His hair was still damp, but he didn't care. He walked out with his dirty clothes bunched in his hand and proceeded to place his stuff in his bag to take to get washed later. He then sat in the chair on the other side of the coffee table. He immediately felt why Thaliana was so curled up in her chair. It was miles better than what they were sitting on the past couple of months. He sighed and sank into the chair.

"Damn…" he groaned under his breath.

"Uh-huh" Thaliana hummed "Awesome chair."

"Yeah… almost don't wanna get up."

Thaliana looked over at Daryl. He seemed as though he was going to succumb to the fatigue that built up over the past couple of months. For the first time, they were truly safe and could actually sleep without worry. Just looking at Daryl was making Thaliana sleepy and decided she was going to take a cat nap of her own. After sitting on the bed, she untied her shoes and stepped out of them before curling up on her side across the bed and drifting off to sleep.

….

"Thaliana? Hey, city girl." He muttered, shaking her shoulder gently.

Daryl almost didn't want to wake the young woman. Thaliana looked like she was really enjoying her rest. However, Glenn came by to let Daryl know that dinner was ready, not realizing that Thaliana was in there as well. So, it came as a shock to him and T-Dog that the ex-assassin opened the door; it was almost as shocking as her differing appearance from that of how she looked at camp. Thaliana looked at them both and was getting ready to ask if they were okay, but Daryl was annoyed.

"We can't go eat if you gonna block the damn door." Daryl stated. "Move." He barked in addition

"Excuse us, please." Thaliana hummed.

Glenn and T-Dog just stepped aside and their eyes followed after them. Almost dumbfounded, Glenn pointed in the direction Thaliana and Daryl were walking. Unable to think of anything to say, he just dropped his hand back to his side.

….

The stares and smiles didn't stop when Thaliana and Daryl walked closer to the table.

"Why is everyone staring at us?" Thaliana whispered to Daryl.

"I think they starin' at you, big city." He muttered back.

Dale sat back in his chair with a surprised smile as Carol got up to greet them.

"Well, look at you, Thaliana;" she remarked "Why on earth would you hide all that lovely hair under a hat all the time?"

Thaliana squirmed a little, not used to the compliment.

"Um… thank you." she mumbled "I just…. It's my favorite hat."

"But it's so pretty!" Sophia exclaimed "It was pretty twisted up, too – you should just ditch the hat."

Daryl noticed Thaliana fidget a little more and she thanked everyone for their compliments. Did it really feel weird to her – someone saying something of hers was pretty?

Carol showed Daryl and Thaliana to their seats and everybody started eating dinner. Everyone was chatting with each other, laughing and bonding as a group – there were even apologies made for the treatment of Thaliana back at camp. Thaliana was trying to hold it together during the dinner, but the smell of the wine from everybody's glasses was making her a little queasy. Still, she wanted to be a good sport for as long as she could. Carol noticed that Thaliana was looking a little piqued, so she poured her a glass of water. Eventually, Andrea turned to Thaliana.

"So Thaliana, why do the Dixons call you "big city", anyway?" she asked with a smile.

Thaliana placed her glass of water down beside her plate and folded her hands in her lap.

"I moved down from New York a few months back." She began "I came down because I … I wanted to start over and leave my past behind; Florida held too many bad memories and New York, not enough good. I liked it here and was very close to sealing the deal on a house."

"I bet it was gorgeous, too." Lori surmised.

Thaliana nodded "It was; and it was in a very nice neighborhood about an hour from the city."

Thaliana's thoughts flashed back to Emiko. The smile that little girl had on her face the day they went to the museum was forever ingrained in Thaliana's memory. The young woman had no idea whether Emiko was alive or dead. Thaliana began to feel that buzzing behind her ears, the smell of the alcohol was starting to overwhelm her. Lori and a few others noticed the look on her face and asked if she was okay. Thaliana quietly excused herself and quickly made her way back to her room.

"Shit." Daryl muttered as he put down his utensils and wiped his mouth.

"What's goin' on with her?" Rick asked "she alright?"

"Alcohol triggers her seizures." Daryl answered. "Smell must've gotten to her."

Andrea quickly offered to catch up to her, but Daryl shook his head.

"Naw, I should go see if she's alright."

"I noticed she hardly ate." Carol said "Take some food to her and try to get her to eat something."

Daryl nodded and left the room with his food and some for his roommate. Rick looked to his wife.

"Not too long before you found us, Thaliana had multiple seizures throughout the night and then ended up in a coma for 3 days." Lori said.

"Everyone was scared; she does a lot for the group n' she's a total bad-ass when it comes to taking down walkers." Shane added. "You should see her - man, it'd strike fear in your heart if you were her enemy."

...

Thaliana laid across the top of the bed, near the pillows and sat there listening to her iPod. She felt bad that she had to leave the table, but she didn't want to have another seizure and scare everyone. Slowly, she began drifting off, when she heard a tap at the door, like someone kicked it gently. She went over and opened the door.

"You didn't eat, so I brought your food back." Daryl uttered gently. Thaliana thanked him and went back over to lie down.

"You alright, Thaliana?" he asked as he carefully placed the plates on the nearby dresser.

"I couldn't take the smell anymore… I'm sorry."

"What you gotta be sorry 'bout? Ain't like you did anythin'."

Daryl rested his right knee and hand into the mattress and leaned on the bed to check her over.

"What are you doing?" Thaliana asked

"Makin' sure you're okay… you can be stubborn as fuck sometimes."

Thaliana was going to say something else in protest, but she quickly realized it would only prove his point. She knew she was stubborn – she kind of had to be. She just sighed and relented.

He was hesitant at first to place a finger on her, but he had to make sure she was okay. He carefully swept her hair off her forehead and tried to see if she was running a fever. Her forehead felt cool, thankfully. Then he sat down and proceeded to check her pulse to make sure her heartbeat wasn't irregular like Dale taught him. It was steady and even. Then he looked at her eyes; no fluttering or twitching. Thaliana didn't look like she had gone through any seizures and she didn't seem to show that she was going to.

Thaliana had stiffened up at first when he touched her hair, but she remembered what Carol told her: "Not every touch is meant to cause pain." She felt her face redden when she realized how close he was to her and immediately looked at the ceiling where the corner formed between it and the wall. She wasn't supposed to feel like that when he was checking her pulse. When he completed his impromptu check, she crossed her arms over her stomach.

"You still need to eat." He commented. Thaliana nodded.

"So how are you holding up?" she asked.

"I ain't the one looked like they were gonna puke at the table." Daryl said with a grin.

"Not what I'm talking about." She smirked back.

Daryl sighed and laid across the foot of the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"I'm tryin' not to worry." He muttered "Merle's able to take care o' himself – I don't doubt that… but I can't help wonderin' what he's doin' or if he's alright. Hell, 'im getting' high 'fore he left, anything could've happened."

"You know, for someone trying to keep _me_ from worrying about stuff, _you_ worry a hell of a lot."

Daryl snorted out a laugh and chuckled, which made Thaliana laugh as well.

"You right…"

"We believe Merle is alive; until we come across something that says otherwise… he is alive." The young woman assuaged

Daryl and Thaliana stared at the ceiling and said nothing to one another for a long time. Eventually he turned his head to the young woman as she sang softly; singing that song that lately seemed to bring him some comfort.

"That song…" he asked "What's it mean?"

Thaliana turned to Daryl for a little bit and then they both looked back at the ceiling again.

"It's… a prayer of sorts… of hope, deliverance, and restoration."

"She sing it a lot… your mom?"

"All the time. It was beautiful to me… and sad. It seemed like her prayers weren't being answered; she was still hurting. I was so angry at her at the time… I'm still angry, but I felt bad that… she couldn't find it in herself to escape."

Daryl looked at her as she fiddled with her iPod, stopping once to wipe her eyes with her hands.

"Maybe the prayer wasn't for her."

Thaliana turned to Daryl, who was now looking straight into her eyes.

"Maybe her prayer was answered after all… you made it out."

Thaliana thought about it for a bit and a soft smile appeared on her face. Daryl gave a little smile back. She silently offered Daryl an earbud. He smirked and accepted it, placing it in his ear. In silence and staring at the ceiling, they listened to a mixture of classic rock, J-rock, jazz, metal, and some other genres as well. Daryl was impressed with her broad musical taste… there was even a little country in there. They just stayed like that for hours until they fell asleep.

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_Wo_w_... what the hell's going on here?_

_I've received a request for a Merle and Michonne connection in this story_

_What do you guys think? What did you think of this chapter?_

_Last Chapter, I was ecstatic over the 400+ hits…. Now we're almost at __600__!_

_I can't thank all you readers out there enough!_

_I'll keep saying it – Thank you so much for sticking with me!_

_See you next chapter!_


	11. Girl with the Colt Revolver

_As planned, I will go back and forth… so here's a Merle chapter for you!_

_Please enjoy!_

….

**Girl with the Colt Revolver**

For hours, Merle drove the roads looking for food and supplies. The cars he found had little to nothing in them. Most had dried bits of whatever was alive before a walker got hold of it. Eventually he found a small abandoned town. No walker or human in sight, from what he could see. He parked his car and went into the neighborhood "everything store". He noted to himself how large it was, considering the town was rather small. Knife in hand, he scanned each aisle, went through the back rooms. The place was void of walkers. He went to the storage room first, believing that there may be more stuff back there than up front.

The storage door was locked, but he half-grinned. The locked door could mean that no one had been in there yet… or something was locked inside with the merchandise. He looked at the lock and quickly noticed it was one of those cheap ones you could open with a plastic card. He looked around the store until he found some pre-paid cards behind the counter. He slowly made his way back to storage. His heart was racing, his mind was praying there was nothing in there. he wedged the card in between the door and the frame, pressing it against the bolt until he heard the click of the bolt disengaging. The older Dixon sighed again, If he hadn't heard a walker in there by now – he wasn't going to.

Once he stepped in and turned on the light, a grin cracked onto his face, teeth gleaming. He hit jackpot. First aid, food, clothes, batteries, flashlights, ammunition and guns and the break room was just to the left. He checked the area: table, sink, microwave, cabinets and a refrigerator full of food. He decided to look in the fridge and the first thing he saw was a case of tamarind soda. He chuckled to himself, remembering how every time he went on a run with Thaliana and Daryl and she saw an ethnic food store, she had to go and get the stuff – nothing could stop her.

"Stubborn as fuck." He chuckled "Walkers be damned."

He decided to grab a bottle and unscrew it with his teeth. After spitting the cap in the garbage, he took a long sip of the light caramel colored drink and immediately jerked back. It was sweet, tart, sour, and acidic… not what he was used to with soda. He drank a little more and then shrugged.

"It's alright, I guess…" he mumbled before taking another gulp of it.

Suddenly, he heard a door close and some whispering. Merle pulled his knife and stealthily made his way to the source of the sound. His footfalls were silent, as was whoever just entered. Merle heard light breathing; it was barely audible, but he could tell it was uneven, like the person was trembling.

"Your breathin's givin' you away." Merle asserted, his voice echoed off the walls in the storage area. "Why don't you come on out – real slow like, huh?"

The person didn't respond and they didn't move. Merle gripped his knife even tighter and carefully stepped closer. He inched closer to where the person was hiding and almost reached the corner when the person jumped out and aimed their gun. Merle's eyes widened – not because he was afraid… but because the wielder of the gun was a little girl. Her hands were still, her eyes unwavering.

"Did you get bitten?" she asked.

Merle almost laughed. Her voice sounded like a little chipmunk and she really wasn't any bigger than one by his perception. It would only be funnier if she didn't have the gun.

"Now, what's a lil' girl doin' with a colt revolver?" He said calmly.

The girl struggled a bit, but she engaged the gun and kept it fixed on him.

"Are you bitten?" she asked again.

"Naw, I ain't bit…. How 'bout you – you bit or scratched?"

The little girl shook her head and started crying quietly, her arms dropping to her side. It tugged at Merle to know this little girl was running around alone; it must have been some time since she saw a grownup that was alive like her. He knelt in front of her and took the gun from her hand, placing it on the floor. All he heard her whisper in her lament was 'I want my mommy.' He was surprised; kids don't have that restraint normally – they usually yelled and wailed when they cried. They expressed raw, unfiltered emotion. He was sure she wanted to just get it all out, but they both knew that couldn't happen… not here.

He had the girl wipe her eyes and go with him back to the break room. As she sat at the table, she pulled a grey stuffed rabbit out of her bag – the thing about two-thirds her size. She held the plushie in her lap and looked out the window at the sky, watching the clouds pass. Merle took a frozen entrée from the freezer and heated it up for her before offering her a soda. She took it and unscrewed the top, but she didn't drink it. Instead, she looked him over.

"Where's you other hand, mister?" the girl asked.

Merle gave a little chuckle, amused by the girl's munchkin voice and how her "R's" sounded like "W's"

"I'd suppose it's in the city where I left it." He said before taking another sip of his soda. "Was handcuffed to a pipe on the roof of a buildin'… didn' have a key, so I had t' saw my way out."

The girl grimaced when she thought about how much that had to hurt.

"What'd you do? 'Han'cuffs' are used on bad people." She inquired

Merle took the food out of the microwave and placed it in front of the girl, along with a plastic spoon. He went back into the freezer and pulled out one for himself to eat. He also saw a box of yogurt tubes. He thought to himself what grown person buys yogurt with cartoon characters on it, but then he just shrugged and asked the girl if she wanted one. She nodded quietly.

"I guess some would see me as a bad guy; I consider myself a realist" he sighed and sat down at the table "I like who and what I like and the rest can kiss my ass."

"Oooh, you said a bad word, mister…" the girl gasped. She covered the ears of her stuffed rabbit that was peeking out of her bookbag. "Mister said a bad word, Whiskers." She whispered before covering its ears again. Merle chuckled a bit; apparently there's still some innocence left in her.

"Uh-oh…. I guess ole Merle's in trouble now, huh?" he mused.

The little girl nodded "Anytime someone says bad words, they have to write a hundred times 'I won't say bad words'." she said, cuddling Whiskers. Merle took his food out of the microwave and set himself up at the opposite and of the table before grabbing another soda. The taste of it was starting to grow on him.

"We'll, I don' have my writin' hand no more…" Merle drawled "So how bout I make you a promise not t' cuss in front of you?"

The girl thought for a moment "Pinky swear, mister Merle?" she asked as she held out her little pinky.

Merle gave a small smile and sealed the deal; it was iron-clad – Merle is bound by the pinky swear to not swear in front of the little girl.

"How long you been out there by yourself, darlin'?"

She counted on her fingers and showed her hand to him "5 days…" she said

"That's a long time for a little'un to be by their lonesome."

The girl nodded and held Whiskers closer. The girl looked so scared and sad, she seemed so tired. He had to hand it to her; the little girl is pretty tough to survive that long on her own.

"What happened to your parents? They got bit?"

"They died in when I was a baby." She started "I lived at the _'_o-fun –idge' for a bit…"

The little girl's eyes started to stream with tears again. "I was gonna live with my new mommy… I can't find her." She sniffled.

"Well, you know what she looked like?"

The girl reached into her backpack and pulled out a picture of herself and her new mommy when they went to a lights festival. She placed held it out and Merle gently took it out of her hand. in the picture, the girl was as happy as can be, with the biggest smile he'd ever seen. Then he looked at the 'new mom': very thick, long and dark curls, dark skin, small and a slight smirk. He almost wouldn't have recognized the woman if not for the grey eyes. Eyes that told so much of pain and suffering, bravery and strength, kindness and honesty. It was Thaliana.

He remembered the young woman saying on one of their hunts that she spent the first few weeks of the outbreak looking for someone; by the time she ran into the group, she lost hope that the person was still alive. He remembered seeing her cry in her car the first few nights at the camp as well, but didn't think much of it at the time. Thaliana was referring to _this girl_.

"What's your name?"

"Emiko… Emiko Arai-Demissie, Mister Merle."

"Jus' call me Merle, kid. "He said. "'Mister Merle' makes me sound like a talkin' horse or sumthin'."

Merle gave the picture back to the little girl and told her not to cry, even found some tissues for her to clean up her face.

"I know your mom." He said "She been lookin' for you, too… far as I know, she still breathin'."

The girl looked at him with a glint of hope in her eye. Her mommy was alive. Running into this guy was the best thing ever, she thought. She wiped her face with another tissue and smiled a little, it was a weary smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"It's gonna take a long time to try an' find her on foot…" he uttered "you stick with me n' we'll see if we come 'cross your mom."

The little girl nodded. They spent the rest of the meal in silence before they gathered supplies and put them in Merle's car. She gathered little things like clothes, first aid, and toiletries while he boxed food, ammunition, medicine, filled gas cans, and found guns and knives. Before they got in the car, Merle crouched down to eye level with Emiko and gave her the revolver back.

"Now, you listen here, Emiko." He began "The gun you got? That's the only one I'm a let you have; the ones I got are too big and powerful for you right now. When we find shelter for the night, I'm a show you how to use it so you don't hurt yourself – but you better listen, you got me?"

The girl said she understood and Merle stood up and opened the rear door for her to get in.

"Thank you." she said quietly.

Merle watched her get in and put her bookbag down beside her and Whiskers. He closed the door and made his way to the driver's seat. Once he got in, he turned back to little Emiko.

"Put your seat belt on." He uttered.

Emiko complied and stared out the window, watching the little town shrink as she and Merle rode off to another place. Merle looked at Emiko from time to time to make sure she was okay. After about half an hour, the little girl had fallen asleep. He spent most of the afternoon driving until he found an abandoned house that was fenced. He pulled in and closed the gate behind the car before grabbing a knife to search the premises with. He looked around the grounds and then in the house, only finding and dispatching three walkers. Once the area was made safe, he carried Emiko and Whiskers into the house and placed them on a bed in one of the rooms before bringing in a box of food, a case of that tamarind soda, some clothes and soap and a couple of weapons.

He was going to stay alive. He was going to stay alive to keep that girl alive for Thaliana.

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_Emiko's alive! YAY!_

_Well, that's that for this chapter. What did you think? The next chapter will be a Thaliana and Daryl chapter._

_Almost __900__ views from close to 300 visitors from around the world!_

_I want to thank all of you for taking the time to read this fanfiction of mine – it makes me so glad to see people enjoying the story this much!_

_As always – thanks for sticking with me!_


	12. Closer than Cool

_I wanted to give a shout out to COLORLESSLYFE and say thank you for following this story – I really appreciate it. The PM option wasn't available on your page, and I like to thank people that read, review, follow and favorite!_

_Here is a Daryl/Thaliana Chapter and a new character is introduced._

_I don't own TWD – Please enjoy this chapter!_

_Anything in (( )) means it's spoken in a foreign language_

….

**Closer than Cool**

We lost Jacqui… I had just started getting to know her – I _liked_ her. I'd started becoming closer to everyone; after the camp, the Morales family and Jim, I didn't want to lose any more people . I begged her to reconsider, even if it was for my own selfish reasons, I didn't want her to just give up like that. Daryl came back and carried me off toward those that were escaping. He didn't let me get a word in after he put me down.

"I know you wanted Jacqui to keep goin'… I know you sick of losin' people… so am I" he said "But you think I'm gonna let you screw around an' die on me, Thaliana? Over you tryin' to save someone that decided to end it all?" he shook his head and moved closer, his eyes boring deep into mine "Naw…. naw, not after you made me an' Merle care about your ass – that I _ain't_ havin'… so don't you fuckin' unravel on me."

Daryl spoke softly, but harshly. I was at a loss for words. I didn't realize how it would've affected Daryl if I had died in there, besides the obvious. And the last time Merle saw me, I was out cold. I just looked at him.

"You ain't losin' Merle… You ain't losin' me… we ain't losin' you."

"How can you make such a promise?" I asked quietly. I was still rather wound up. "The only sure thing now is death."

…

Without warning, Daryl clasped his hand on Thaliana's upper arm which caused her to look up at him.

"I ain't losin' you." he said firmly and walked over to his pickup.

He hadn't realized what he said until he got in his truck. "I"… "_I'm_ not losing you." He didn't want to let that slip. He went back the moment he saw Thaliana wasn't with the group and carried her off. He put his life on the line for her. He hadn't quite realized how quickly he had grown to see her that way until that point, let alone liking someone of another race as a friend… but she was precious to him.

….

"You got your pills n' stuff?" Daryl asked gently.

"Yeah…" Thaliana answered quietly, twisting up the last of her hair before putting it into a ponytail. "Are you okay?"

Daryl nodded. He could tell she was still shaken up after the explosion. He was pretty shaken up himself. He wasn't sure how Thaliana was and the last thing he wanted was her "checking out" while driving. It was clear that she was wary of letting anyone else drive her car, for the sake of moving on, she handed her keys over to Glenn, since he was the only one that didn't have a vehicle. The ecstatic, almost hyperactive look on his face when he found out that he was going to drive that Maybach actually frightened her.

Sophia decided to ride with Daryl and Thaliana until the next time they stopped. Sophia liked being around Thaliana – saw her as a big sister of sorts. They talked and listened to music together, Sophia even started asking Thaliana to teach her Amharic. The girl was a very fast learner, took to it as if it were what she was born speaking.

((Daryl keeps looking at you, Thaliana.)) the young girl said with a small smile. ((He seems to worry about you a lot.))

((We worry about each other…)) Thaliana exhaled ((Like how you're mom worries about you.))

Sophia looked at Daryl for a bit and went back to grooming the doll Eliza gave her.

((Not sure about that…)) The little girl mused, making Thaliana chuckle a bit.

Daryl looked at them briefly before looking at the road. He may not have known what they were speaking, but he definitely heard his name.

"What're you two talkin' bout over there?" he asked, a little agitated.

"Nothing bad, I promise;" Thaliana said "She says you worry about me a lot and I told her we worry about each other."

Daryl nodded and just listened to them talk. As long it wasn't anything bad, they could say what they wanted, he supposed. He'd gotten used to Thaliana singing in that language, so hearing it in conversation was interesting. He was amazed at how Sophia picked it up so quickly; the two of them talking as if they knew each other for years. After a while the group stopped for a bathroom break.

….

Daryl and Thaliana rode in silence for the most part, unable to think of things to talk about for a while. Until Daryl broke the silence.

"Where in Florida did you live?" he asked

Thaliana looked out her window, enjoying the cool air. "The Glades."

"Sounds nice… like a resort or somethin'."

"No, literally, The Everglades – population of 500 or so… that's not including the alligators." She sighed. "My parents came into the country dirt poor… and left the same. Not for lack of trying, I will say that."

Daryl gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, unsure if he should ask the next question.

"With what happened to you… I know you hated your Pa, but… what about your Mom?"

Thaliana looked at the younger Dixon for a moment, before gazing out of the front windshield. The bright light made her squint a little.

"I felt bad for her… was angry at her… but I never hated her;" she answered "I guess… I guess I understood what she did to an extent… but her decisions affected me, too."

The young woman looked at one of the rear view mirrors and saw Glenn driving her car with pretty much the same expression he had when she gave him the keys. she scoffed and shook her head before placing it in her hand.

"Glenn is enjoying my car waaaay too much." She mused

Daryl snorted out a chuckle. "Can't say I blame him."

The moment Daryl looked at his gas gauge, which caused him to curse under his breath and honk his horn. He was just past empty. Daryl looked back to his brother's bike and then to his passenger.

"You good with ridin' back?" he sighed.

"I've never ridden before." She said, feeling unsure "I'm supposed to look to the inside curve, right?" she asked, prompting Daryl to nod. "You can put your things in my car." She added.

She motioned to Glenn to pop the trunk, which he did so quickly and she pulled a firearm. As Daryl packed his small pile of things to the trunk, Glenn walked up to Thaliana.

"Your car rides really smooth." He chuckled.

"Thank you; it's probably one of my favorite things about Ziggy."

"Who?" Glenn was confused.

"Ziggy Stardust…my car."

"David Bowie's alter ego… unusual name for a car." He stated. "Then again, you're unusual yourself – i-in a good way… I mean."

Thaliana smirked and leaned against her vehicle.

"I, uh… I-I noticed you have some gaming consoles installed in the front. I didn't know you played." Glenn said.

Before Thaliana could respond, Daryl stopped beside her and told her he was finished packing up and he got the bike off the truck.

"Time to get back on the road." he muttered. "You sure you okay ridin'? You can take your car if you're up to it."

Thaliana viewed the bike. It was in great condition, but she irked visibly at the Schutzstaffel insignia on the tank. It seemed sort of far from the Merle that she had come to know. Certainly further from the Daryl she knows now. The archer saw her reaction – it was justifiable. Merle was a white male supremacist to his core. Though he taught Daryl to share in his beliefs, the younger Dixon never really took hold to them as firmly as his big brother did, since Daryl spent a great part of his life a without anyone that cared for him. However, Daryl noticed a change after Merle got to know Thaliana… but knowing his brother, the former assassin might have just been "the exception" to his beliefs.

"It's somethin' how pointless things become when you get to know people." Daryl said as he turned to Thaliana.

"Yeah…" she responded.

"You sure you wanna ride?" he asked again.

Thaliana zipped up her jacket and put her hat in the passenger seat of the Maybach.

"Life is short… might as well live it, right?" Thaliana said with a small smirk.

….

Daryl kept his eyes on the caravan, riding beside it in order to easily get ahead if he needed to do some scouting and assess the conditions ahead. Any walkers that were too close, Thaliana gave them a quick bullet between the eyes. It was seamless… natural, like the flow of a river. Daryl was impressed with his passenger, for someone who never rode before, she took to it pretty well.

He wasn't used to the feeling of warmth against his back, of another body pressed to his when he rode. Thaliana held tightly to him – probably out of nervousness. He could feel her body rise and fall as she breathed, her arm wrapped securely around him, her face against his shoulder to try to block the wind. It made his skin tingle. Daryl peered over his shoulder at her to see if she was okay, only to see her eyes looking back at him, telling him she was fine with a nod before he turned back to the road. He decided it felt nice… no, it felt _good_ to have Thaliana ride with him.

….

The RV slowed to a stop and the caravan followed suit. The RV had broken down. As Dale tried to fix it, everyone started going through the abandoned vehicles. Thaliana looked around for what she could; she ended up finding some clothes, food here and there, batteries, and flashlights. Then she saw a figure further up the road. Daryl and Shane noticed as well and followed behind Thaliana as she moved briskly.

In time, Thaliana got a better look at the person: Tall, medium muscle build, thick, wavy salt-and-pepper hair pulled into a ponytail, olive green t-shirt, black jeans and boots. When he lifted his head from under the hood of his car, she saw his face. He had very chiseled, angular features, smoldering brown eyes – the left had a scar through his brow. She knew this man and she was pissed that he was in Atlanta. Daryl and Shane kept their weapons fixed on him.

"What are you doing here, Lucien?"

The man cursed under his breath. He was so focused on getting his car to work that he hadn't heard her or the men behind her walk up. His weapon was in the seat right in front of him – knowing how quick she was, there was no way he'd be able to grab it in time. He moved from the car with his hands raised.

"I should know better than to let my guard down." He chuckled, his voice thick with his Portuguese accent.

"You know this guy?" Shane asked quickly.

Thaliana didn't look back to the men that followed her; she knew if she had, Lucien would take advantage.

"Lucien Davi – he was my mentor's weapon fabricator… and a torture specialist."

"I'm LeSabre's best friend… and you don't trust me?" he pouted.

"I don't trust any of LeSabre's friends." Thaliana said matter-of-factly.

"He taught you well." Lucien grinned

Daryl nudged the guy with his crossbow and it caused the Portuguese man to jump a little.

"Lady asked what you're doin' here." The archer rumbled.

"If you'll permit me?" he asked, pointing to his satchel in the backseat.

Shane cocked his gun and told him not to try anything funny. Lucien reached into the satchel and he pulled an envelope out of the back and handed it to Thaliana. When she opened it, she saw pictures of herself as she ran errands and touring the house she was about to buy. Pictures of her with Emiko as well.

"You've been following me?!" she asked coolly, preparing to unholster her pistol.

Lucien immediately offered an explanation.

"Phineas wanted me to follow you… to make sure you were okay and that no one hurt you."

Thaliana continued to look through the photos as she explained who Phineas Wade was to Shane and Daryl. She couldn't believe that Wade sent Lucien.

"So, Wade was paying you to play guardian angel?" she prodded.

Davi just nodded. Thaliana put the photos back in the envelope and crossed her arms in thought. If he was sent to kill her, he could have done it at any time then. Still, he could be playing her now. She rubbed her thumb against the side of her chin.

"What do we do with him, Thaliana? It's your call." Shane asked. Lucien was her mentor's friend, after all. It wouldn't be right of him to make that decision.

Thaliana handed the envelope back to Lucien and looked him square in his eyes unwaveringly.

"Don't make me regret it, Lucien." She said firmly ((Otherwise, you'll wish one of these men shot you.)) she added in Portuguese. "Get your things; we're going to talk when we get to a safer place."

Davi nodded his understanding and followed them back to the group. Rick walked up and looked the man over.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"Lucien Davi – a friend of my mentor's. " Thaliana responded.

Lucien's eyes landed on Carol immediately. Thaliana saw this and immediately shook her head. She'd known Lucien to fall head over heels for a beautiful woman the minute he saw her… and he had a thing for women with short hair. How he was able to remain such a hopeless romantic after being jilted and cheated on so much was a wonder to Thaliana. Davi made a beeline for Carol and began complimenting her in Portuguese. Carol pulled back, unsure of what to make of Lucien.

"Take it easy, Lucien; at least learn..." Thaliana was cut off by the sight of the oncoming herd of walkers.

...

Everyone scattered and hid as best they could. There were dozens of zombies passing through. The only sounds heard was the incessant groaning and snarling of walkers as their feet scraped along the asphalt in their search for fresh flesh. It seemed like it would never end - throngs of walkers shuffling by. They all waited and waited until they were sure that the groans faded enough for everyone to re-emerge safely.

Sophia wasn't so lucky….

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_Sooo Lucien hasn't been here for a minute and he's already got eyes for Carol._

_That's it for this chapter, I really hope you liked it!_

_A little over 1,400 views…. Thank you guys so much for reading and I hope you keep reading!_

_As always – thank you, thank you, thank you for sticking with me!_


	13. Beginning of the End

_Here is an Emiko chapter for you guys!_

_I don't own TWD… but I own everything in this chapter… except Merle._

_Please enjoy!_

….

**Beginning of the End**

I was just playing with my car when I heard screaming. It was so loud and made my heart go faster. Miss "Cartwhite" told everybody to pack up their stuff super quick and make a straight line in the hallway. So I got my bookbag with the unicorn, 'cause it was the best one! It was big and purple with sparkles on the unicorn's horn. Miss "Cartwhite" told everyone to pack as much of their stuff as they could, even our clothes. I packed all my clothes and my ballerina outfit and I still had some room for Whiskers!

I was the first one to line up… I wish I wasn't, 'cause I saw out the door and there was blood all over the place and people were screaming and crying and… and there were the scaries… parts of their faces and bodies were gone. They went around biting people over and over until the people they were biting were just like them.

One of them looked at the door and saw me. My head told my legs to move but they wouldn't listen. It got up and started coming to the door until a man with a cut above his eye use his gun on the scary. I didn't want to go outside… I wanted my mommy. I kept begging Miss "Cartwhite" to call my mommy to come get me, but she kept saying that we had to go. Once all the kids lined up, a bus pulled up and we were told to get on the bus as fast as we could.

All the other grownups were on the bus, but Miss "Cartwhite" was grabbed by the scaries. I was so scared and everybody screamed and cried. Miss "Cartwhite" was a very nice grownup and she took care of the whole "o-fun-idge". It hurt in my chest when she was getting bitten and she screamed and screamed, telling the bus driver to go. I screamed for Miss "Cartwhite" … I didn't want her to get left behind.

….

They drove, trying to find a safe place for the large group of ten adults and seventeen children. From time to time, the adults on the bus got off to get food and water, weapons to defend the children, and bathroom breaks. Places like restaurants that were easy for the adults to clear, were places where they stopped and rested for the night; they could cook hot meals for the children and they could rest for the night.

One such night, the bus driver went to find gas with one of the adults and didn't return in the morning. The remainder of the adoption center employees decided to wait. One day. Two days. Five days The bus never came back and the restaurant was out of food. Three of the adults went to find a couple of vans… Only one came back in time to see the four of the five adults trying to fend off the group of walkers that came in from the back. They wouldn't have been able to come in if one of the adults hadn't gone outside to smoke… that adult would have still been alive, too.

By the time, those who were still alive got on the van, it was realized that nine children were lost. After driving for a time, trying to find another place to get supplies, the van happened across the bus at the gas station. The blood sprayed on the inside by the driver's seat had dried and started flaking. The bus driver himself and the employee that went with him were roaming around that area as well. the kids cried when they saw it. They cried for their friends and those that cared for them.

….

I was so scared. I was scared for my mommy. I don't want my mommy to be one of them… I want my mommy to be okay. As we moved farther and farther away from the city, more and more people got bitten. I lost my all my friends… all but one of the adults were gone. Miss "Cartwhite's" sister, Mrs. Todd, was the only grownup left. For a long time, it was just me, her and Whiskers.

….

"I know I shouldn't be doing this..." Mrs. Todd began "but you have to be able to defend yourself, Emiko, okay? Should anything happen to me, you have to defend yourself. Do you understand?"

Emiko nodded and learned how to use the gun, how to reload it, where the safety was. It almost scared Mrs. Todd to see how quickly she learned how to use it. For weeks, they protected each other and drove around trying to find safe havens. One day they found a house to stay in for a while. It had working utilities and some clothing and it was clear of walkers. One rainy day, Mrs. Todd told Emiko that she was going on a run for some food and ammunition.

….

I asked her not to go. She was coughing and shaking a lot and she looked like a ghost and threw up earlier, too. But Mrs. Todd said we needed to get more stuff to "sur-five" and maybe have a little party tomorrow for my third birthday, if I wanted… I said no. It was dark when she came back. When I went outside… She had red all over her… and there were holes in her arms. She told me not to cry, but I did anyway. I was gonna lose Mrs. Todd now… I didn't want to be alone.

Mrs. Todd told me to go back inside and sleep and to put food, water and "am-ma-nition" in my bag in the morning. I didn't want to leave her, but she made me go inside.

….

The next morning, Emiko washed up at the bathroom sink and brushed her teeth while humming "happy birthday" to herself before putting on fresh clothes. She slowly walked outside and looked to her right. Mrs. Todd was slumped against the house on the ground. Carefully, the little girl went over to Mrs. Todd's body and saw the hole in her forehead.

The little girl dropped to her knees and cried quietly as she stared at the lifeless body in front of her. In the short span of life she has lived so far, she has seen so many horrors and so much death. After a few minutes, she wiped her face on her sleeve and got up. She got into the back of the car that Mrs. Todd left unlocked. She put whatever food, first aid, and water she could into a second bag. After that she looked at the ammunition, trying to remember what the gun Mrs. Todd gave her used…. Something about 100-grain… Remington… soft points or .32-20? She decided to look at the boxes and see if anything said something about a revolver or looked like it said revolver.

When she found what she was looking for, she stuffed that into her bookbag with her clothes and Whiskers and moved on, stopping once to look back at the house.

"Thank you, Mrs. Todd…" she said as she sniffled. "Say hello to the angels, okay?"

And with that she walked off. For four and a half days, Emiko walked the streets and roads alone. She went to small gas station stores, where she knew there weren't a lot of walkers for her to take down and food she could grab quickly and put in her bag. She always picked water and juice, since soda made her burp and she didn't want to attract danger. On the fourth night, when she tried to find a place to sleep, she saw a small house and went toward it until she heard lots of snarling. For a long time, she ran from the mangled undead corpses that chased her. Even when she lost them, even as her legs burned, she kept running until she came to a small, empty town with a large store. She wasn't sure if she should go in at first – since big places meant lots of monsters, but when she heard the faint groaning, she made her way to the closest entrance.

When she closed the door behind her, she quickly pulled out her revolver and leaned against the wall. She walked slowly. Her legs hurt, she hadn't slept, she was out of food and had no water since yesterday. Her breathing was uneven and her heart was pounding in her ear.

"I'll be okay." She whispered to herself "There's nothing here…"

"Your breathin's givin' you away." A voice echoed.

Emiko jumped. There was a man there…she was scared now… what if the he was bitten like Mrs. Todd? She gripped the gun tighter and placed her finger on the trigger.

"Why don't you come on out – real slow like, huh?" the man said

Emiko wasn't sure what to do, but before she could think she jumped out and aimed her gun at the man, who backed up a little bit in surprise.

….

This was the first time I saw a grownup since Mrs. Todd went away. I cried, but I was happy that I wasn't alone anymore. Mr. Merle took care of me and made sure I was okay. He's super-nice… but he has a potty-mouth. And you know what's really good? He knows my mommy! She's alive and he's gonna help me find her! I can't wait to see mommy and we can be together just like we wanted.

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_So that's it! What do you guys think about what's going on with everyone so far?_

_The next chapter will be a Merle/Emiko chapter._

_Thank you SO much for reading!_

_Thanks for sticking with me!_


	14. Something like Family

_I'm so sorry this chapter took so long! There was a lot going for me this week and I haven't been feeling well._

_Here is the promised Merle/Emiko chapter!_

_I don't own TWD_

_Please enjoy!_

….

**Something like Family**

For the past few days, Emiko and Merle traveled; getting supplies and trying to find anything that could lead to the people they were looking for. The past two days were rainy and unseasonably cold and on top of that, the engine died in the car they were using. If there were other cars nearby, he would have had her wait in the broken down one until he was able to find another that worked. Unfortunately, they had to walk for solid half-hour before they found a car that still had keys in it and actually ran.

Emiko grimaced and shirked back when she saw Merle stride back to the car, carrying a couple of plastic bags. He was heavily spattered in walker gunk and other gross bits. There were about six of them in the store he went to. Once he got to the back passenger seat, he sat down beside the coughing girl and pulled out a pack of mini muffins and gave it to her. When she saw the picture on the pack, she quickly shook her head.

"I can't eat that; I'm allergic to 'broo-berries'." Emiko said just before coughing.

Merle muttered under his breath as he dug for something else for the kid to eat, coming up with a cheese danish. Emiko nodded and he opened it for her, handing it to the little girl afterward. She thanked him and began eating. Meanwhile, he pulled out a small box and started reading the back of it.

"How old are you, little'un?" Merle inquired, opening the box.

Emiko was still chewing and she didn't want to be impolite, so she held three fingers up for him to see. Merle nodded and proceeded to open up the cough medicine he pulled from the box. He used his right arm to hold the bottle firmly against his torso and used his left hand to remove the medicine cup and screw off the cap. He then got out of the car and placed the cup on the roof of the car so he could measure out the proper dose. Once Merle completed that, he ducked down and asked Emiko if she was finished eating; she nodded and coughed again.

"Every drop." Merle instructed, handing her the cup of cough syrup.

Emiko basically threw the cough syrup to the back of her throat to get it over with. She hated the taste of it and frowned as she gave Merle the cup back. He put all the stuff back in the box and put it in the bag before handing her a small carton of orange juice and a straw.

"Thank you, Merle." She chirped.

As she opened the carton, Merle moved to the front seat and put the bag beside him. He reached his left over and started the ignition. It was really awkward having to do things so differently, but he didn't have time to worry about stuff like that. As he drove, he looked around for cars with gas he could siphon or supplies he could take up. He also looked for places that seemed like his brother and Thaliana could have been… no such luck. He found a small clothing store and went in to check for walkers and brought Emiko inside when he cleared the space.

"Get yourself some sweaters n' put one on." Merle uttered as he went through some shirts for himself. He glanced over at the little girl and noticed her shoes were a little beat up. Being on the move all the time would do that, he figured. "Get some shoes, too."

Emiko nodded and went to the children's' section. She picked out mostly girl clothes – cute shirts and skinny jeans. She also picked jackets, sweatpants and a few pairs of boots and sneakers from both sections and tiptoed to put each thing in the cart Merle pulled out. She found a white long-sleeved thermal that she liked, along with a black sleeveless hoodie and matching sweatpants. She also found some skateboarding sneakers and the cutest bear-ear hat with pom-poms on the ends. She ran to a changing room.

"No peeking, Whiskers." The girl warned the rabbit plushie as she turned it to face the wall.

Emiko changed her clothes as quickly as she could, humming to herself. On her way out the room, Emiko saw a pink scarf and decided to grab that as well.

"I'm finished changing." She said quietly, dragging Whiskers behind her.

Merle turned and chuckled as he neatened up her scarf. He was impressed with what she picked: clothes that were loose enough to move freely, but fitted enough that it would be difficult for her to get grabbed up or caught on anything. of course, she had to girl it up a bit with the powder pink scarf and hat.

"Are you gonna put on a sweater, too, Merle?" Emiko asked as she climbed onto a stool and tried to look out the window.

"I ain't sick." Merle responded. "It's still damp n' cool outside; you should be covered up, least 'til you get better."

Emiko was finally able to pull herself up to see out the window and immediately wished she hadn't. About ten feet away, there was a large group of zombies droning by. She got out of view just before one turned in her direction.

"Merle!" she whispered harshly "The scaries are outside!" she ran over to him and held his hand, looking up at him.

Merle hid her in a clothes rack of long pants, just in case any tried to come inside. he slowly went over to the window and carefully peered outside. He cursed when he counted at least twenty walkers; even if he _had_ his other hand, taking on twenty would have been foolish and no amount of drugs in the world could make him think otherwise. He told Emiko to stay close to him as they made way for the car. He opened the driver's door and she was able to get inside before a few undead that strayed away from the pack. Merle quickly stabbed them and got in the car before the sound drew any attention. He turned the ignition and the engine didn't turn.

"Not good." Emiko whimpered.

"C'mon, baby; don' let me down, now." Merle said, trying to will the car into functioning.

It seemed like each time he turned the key the engine would stall. Emiko looked out the front and saw the walkers coming. Emiko hugged Whiskers closer to her and started whimpering. They were getting closer and starting to surround the car.

"Shit, _shit – _c'mon you fuckin' piece o' junk!" Merle gritted through his teeth.

Finally, the engine turned over and they were able to get away. Emiko and Merle drove down the road in silence for a while, the adrenaline still high.

"You cursed again." Emiko said.

"I know." Merle replied.

"You cursed at the store, too."

"Yeah, I know."

"… It doesn't count 'cause we were in trouble, … right?" Emiko asked.

"If you wanna look at it that way, sure." Merle sighed.

It was silent in the car for a few more moments. Emiko picked up her bookbag and looked inside to only moments later, plop it back down with a little sigh.

"I left my gun in the changing room." She muttered.

Merle looked at her and she seemed disappointed. She spent a lot of time learning how to shoot it properly, how to ground herself and brace for any kick back. After all that learning, she forgot her gun. Merle just shook his head.

"Don't really want you usin' guns anyhow." He said.

"But you helped me learn how to use it better." Emiko rebutted, looking at the older Dixon.

"I know, "Emi", but you jus' a kid… even 'n this fucked-up world we all livin' in, you should be a kid for's long as you can."

Emiko turned to the dashboard and nodded. "Mommy used to call me Emi, too." She said.

Merle turned to Emiko briefly and saw that she still had that look on her face. It was almost like he could see her heart sinking.

"You talk like she dead, Little'un;" Merle joked "Your mama's alive."

"How do you know?" the little girl asked.

"She's a tough lady." Merle shook his head. "You see it in her eyes whenever she thinks 'bout you; She'd walk into the flames of Hell if it meant gettin' you back."

He looked at Emiko again and grinned when he saw her smiling.

"Now's a mommy that tough gonna die 'fore she gets t' her baby?" he asked

Emiko shook her head and giggled. It was the first time he heard it; it sounded almost like a warbling bird. It made him laugh, it was so cute. He happened to see a diner and he decided that he and Emiko would check it out. Maybe they could scrounge up some lunch to cook and gather up whatever food is there before they find another abandoned house.

"You cursed again, Merle…" Emiko hummed after a while.

"'Hell' ain't a cuss the way I used it." Merle said

"I mean the "F" word you said when you told me to be a kid." She reminded.

"That one counted, huh?" He smirked.

"Yes, it does." She said matter-of-factly.

"How 'bout we see if we can make some sundaes 'n the diner t' make up for it?" Merle offered.

Emiko's eyes glittered with happiness. She loved sundaes. The last time she had one was when she and Thaliana made one together after going to the museum.

"Can mine be 'ha'fudge' with peanuts, and whip cream, and a cherry on top?" she pleaded.

"We'll see what's there, Emi; jus' let me clear the place first." he said "You duck down n' put that blanket over you so the walkers don't see you, okay? I'll be back 'n a few minutes."

Emiko nodded and quickly did what she was told. Whenever they stopped, he had her do that just in case any walkers passed by and he was not in the car with her. As Merle went into the diner, he thought about smearing the car in walker guts when the rainy weather stopped.

...

Night fell. Merle found another house for them to stay in and this one had a garage. He pulled in and went back to lock the gate before closing up the garage. He carried a sleeping Emiko to a room and took off her shoes before putting her in bed, pulling the covers over her. He brought all the food and supplies into the house and from there, took a shower, put on some fresh clothes and went to bed.

Merle looked at the ceiling in thought. He longed to be with his family again and in a weird way, he got that with Emiko. But it wasn't enough; he wanted his _whole_ family. He wanted to be with Daryl and Thaliana again, too.

"Merle?" a drowsy little voice called.

He sat up and saw Emiko standing in the door way with a book in her hand as she rubbed her eye with her wrist and the other hand dragging Whiskers behind her.

"Can't sleep, huh?" Merle observed.

Emiko shook her head. "Can you read me this story, please?"

"Sure, kid." Merle answered "Bring it here."

Emiko came in the room and handed Merle the book and lay down on the other side of the bed.

"The Phantom Tollbooth?" Merle was surprised at the selection.

"My favorite story." She sighed "Is it okay?"

Merle smiled and patted her head. "It's a really good story." He said.

He read the story to her, making voices for different characters, which made Emiko laugh. He kept reading until he noticed Emiko had fallen asleep. He picked up Emiko and brought her back to her room and tucked her and Whiskers back in bed. Now he was dog tired himself. He walked back to his room and crawled back into bed and went to sleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

_Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you all so much for waiting._

_Next chapter will be a Thaliana/Daryl chapter_

_Hopefully, it won't take as long to put it out for you guys._

_ Thank you so much for sticking with me!_


	15. There's Comfort Here

_Here's another Daryl/Thaliana chapter for you, guys!_

_I apologize __again__ for the long wait._

_Of TWD, I own naught but my OCs_

_Please enjoy_

….

**There's Comfort Here**

That night following Sophia's disappearance was difficult, most of all for Carol. She was always so watchful of Sophia. She never left Sophia by herself. It was just that one moment when they weren't together… that was all it took to lose her. Daryl, Andrea and Lucien went out to find her. I stayed with Carol… I felt so bad. She was such a sweet woman… she was so kind to me… one of the first to reach out to me. I couldn't stand to see her like that.

….

Thaliana's heart crumbled as Carol cried, calling out Sophia's name. Thaliana didn't even hesitate. She held Carol's hand. It caused Carol to sit up and stare at her. The young woman proceeded to wrap her arms around Carol and hold her securely.

"I'm sorry…Carol." She spoke softly "I'm so sorry…"

Carol was surprised that Thaliana, woman who feared being touched… was hugging her and trying to comfort her. Carol hugged Thaliana tightly. While she was sad and fearful of Sophia's safety, she was proud that Thaliana had started to overcome that fear.

"We're going to find her…" Thaliana assured "We're going to find Sophia and she'll be all right… we're not giving up."

Carol nodded and smiled a little through her tears. "Thank you, Thaliana."

...

Days passed with no sign of Sophia. Carl had been shot and Theodore had finally gotten stitched up. Every time Thaliana saw that Carol seemed like she was losing faith, she hugged her and comforted her as best she could, which always made Carol smile a little.

"Sophia has come to see you as a big sister." Carol sighed "She adores you."

"We'll find her, Carol." Thaliana spoke softly "I know we will."

Thaliana exhaled. She knew Sophia liked to hang around her a lot, but she hadn't a clue Sophia felt that way. The young woman was getting ready to say something else when saw Lucien striding up. Before he could get halfway to them, Thaliana grabbed his arm.

"We need to talk… now." She said firmly. Practically dragging him in the opposite direction.

Daryl watched as Lucien protested in Portuguese and she talked to him as she'd been speaking it all her life. He almost wanted to laugh at the scene, but he saw a look on Thaliana's face like when she first saw the guy. So Daryl followed them until they stopped.

"I just want to talk to Caro-"

"Forget Carol." Thaliana interjected tersely.

Daryl peered around from the hay he was hiding behind. It was a reasonable distance from the stable; he could hear everything without being seen. He didn't trust the guy… even more so after the way Thaliana reacted. He peeked out, seeing Thaliana pacing back and forth, her eyes never leaving Lucien.

"Are you going to say something ?" Lucien inquired.

((Why are you here?)) she asked firmly in Portuguese.

((I told you wh-))

((No, you fed me a line, Lucien…)) she said. ((If Wade was actually concerned enough about me to send a guardian angel…. He wouldn't have sent someone that tried to kill me.)) She said calmly, but her eyes were angry.

Something was up. Daryl knew something was wrong when she switched to another language. Lucien placed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the frame of the stable entryway. He looked at one of the horses on the farm. The Greene's kept beautiful animals.

((There's been a rumor circling for weeks after a hit was put out on me - that LeSabre's prodigy daughter took up the job. … I've been trying to track you down to see if it was true.)) he finally admitted as he looked at her.

Thaliana looked at Lucien in disbelief. ((Idiot… )) she huffed "You could have just called instead of flying out from Monaco." She added.

((I prefer face-to-face for things like this)) he chuckled "Well, is it true?" Lucien asked.

"No." Thaliana answered calmly ((I retired _months_ ago… God, you were following me all this time and you didn't know that?))

((You know damn well appearances can be deceiving… I had to make sure.)) Lucien said

Thaliana folded her arms and looked at Lucien. She trusted him about as far as she could throw Daryl's pickup. There was stillness for a moment before Thaliana closed space between them.

((If you try anything to get at me… I will kill you.)) She stated ((If you cause anyone in this group to die, I will feed you to the walkers myself.))

"You have my word." He promised. "I won't try anything."

"Remember you said that…" Thaliana warned

Lucien watched as Thaliana walked off. He turned to go back to his car only to get stopped by Daryl, who was giving him a nasty look.

"You're a silent one… didn't figure you for an eavesdropper, though." Lucien sighed.

"Figured you to be a liar." Daryl shot back "You better not do anythin' to hurt Thaliana."

"Save your threats…I made a promise that I wouldn't." the Portuguese man said "I'm more scared of her than I am of you."

Daryl didn't flinch at the remark. He knew Thaliana was dangerous and deadly, if you crossed her. Daryl stepped closer to the man and looked him over. Thaliana didn't trust him; if she didn't trust Lucien, Daryl trusted him even less…he'd be her extra set of eyes when it came to Lucien, he'd have her back.

"You'd better be scared o' all o' us… 'specially if you hurt Thaliana; I'd be more than happy to lead that charge." Daryl said as he walked off.

"How did you know I lied?" Lucien asked "Most of our conversation wasn't even in English."

Daryl stopped and turned back to Lucien. It was silent for a moment before Daryl took a couple of steps back toward Lucien.

"Thaliana cut you off…" Daryl answered. He huffed out a little chuckle, remembering the pharmacy. "She does that when someone starts spoutin' bullshit. I ain't gotta know eighty languages to pick that up." He said as he turned to head back to the group.

...

Thaliana had gone back to her Maybach and ran into Glenn. She asked if he wanted to play some video games and before she knew it, she – along with Glenn, and T-Dog were taking turns playing varied titles They kept the doors closed to muffle the sounds of their laughter and cheering, and trash-talking.

"It's make or break." Thaliana said in anticipation of the race's outcome.

"Oh, I'm in first! I'm –NO!" Glenn exclaimed.

Glenn had just gotten to first place when he spun out. In trying to correct his driver, he fell back to tenth. As Glenn tried to recover, T-Dog surged ahead – taking advantage of speed boost and shortcuts. T-Dog managed to finish in second place while Glenn ended the race in fourth. The three of them, as quiet as they were trying to keep it, seemed to be having a ball

Daryl stopped a few feet away when he saw Thaliana smiling.

...

Thaliana'd changed quite a bit. She was this girl that wouldn't speak, never smiled, didn't have anyone, an' was afraid to let anyone touch her. Now, she's huggin' people an' smilin' more. She's got people that care about her… she's got family in me an' Merle, Carol an' Dale. If I were bein' honest… I didn't see her as family… the moment she opened the door to that room at the CDC… I didn't see her like a lil' sister anymore.

….

Daryl walked up to Thaliana's car and knocked gently on the roof. Thaliana turned to face Daryl as she opened the door.

"I'm goin' on to do some searchin'; wanna come with, big city?" Daryl asked, his drawl a little thicker than usual.

Thaliana agreed with no hesitation. She turned to her gamer pals and they asked if she wanted them to close up the car and wait for her to come back. Thaliana told them it was okay to keep playing for a few hours, since the game systems ran on a separate battery system that was pretty new. She grabbed her Remington 700, some ammo and her twin hooks.

"Ready." She exhaled.

Daryl nodded and they walked off, making it known to Rick that they were going to search for Sophia. He and Thaliana walked for hours, looking for Sophia or clues of her. Even as storm clouds rolled in with the faint rumblings of thunder, they kept searching. They stopped to rest for just a moment. They'd gone on nonstop in their search and they'd become a bit fatigued.

"Gonna have to turn back, looks like." Daryl assessed as he looked at the sky "It's gonna be a bad one."

Thaliana nodded. She started to turn back toward the direction of the farm, but she saw something odd that was slightly covered in dirt. She slowly crouched down and saw a delicate gold chain that was broken. Daryl noticed it as well and he crouched down to pick it up. The chain was small like it was for a child. At the end was a gold, oblong sphere.

"Lil' girl's locket." Daryl concluded.

Thaliana was starting to rub her eyes when she noticed the engraving on the front. She took the necklace out of Daryl's hand and took a closer look. She recognized the engraving; it was a dove. Thaliana's started to tremble.

"Oh, God…" she whispered.

"What is it?" Daryl did not like the look on her face nor the shakiness in her voice. "Thaliana?"

"Please, don't let it be…" she said softly.

She opened the locket and almost immediately started crying quietly. It was a locket containing a picture of a Japanese man and a Japanese woman. Daryl saw this, but had no idea why it was making Thaliana so sad. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked at her.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked

"It's Emiko's necklace… she was here." She sniffled, covering her mouth. "The chain's broken – something must have grabbed her."

"Who's Emiko?" Daryl was confused.

Thaliana explained that before the outbreak she was going to adopt the little girl Emiko and that the photos in the locket were of her birth parents, who died in a car crash. Before she ran into the group she had been searching for her.

"She was here days – maybe weeks ago… maybe the walker carried it all the way here, or... she... she could be anywhere by now." She looked at Daryl with tears in her eyes "I had given up and I shouldn't have…" she managed after choking back her sobs.

Daryl hugged her tightly before he even realized it. He didn't really know what else to do. All he knew was that seeing Thaliana like that hurt him, as well. He hushed her and tried to get her to breathe. He looked up at the sky and saw that they had stayed out too long. They wouldn't make it back without walking in the rain for the better part of an hour. With how cool it had been in that week, they'd get sick for sure.

"Gotta take shelter…c'mon." he advised.

...

The rain poured heavily as the sky boomed with thunder and cracked with lightning. Daryl and Thaliana were soaked. Their clothes were heavy and clung to their bodies. Thaliana shivered; the rain came down hard. It was cold and the droplets stung as they fell. It took Daryl and Thaliana about forty-five minutes to find a place to stay in until the storm blew over.

Thaliana and Daryl stopped for a breath as they assessed the place. It was a shanty… an old one. But it looked sturdy enough that they didn't have to worry about it caving in on them. They trudged inside and blocked off the door with the dresser that was in there. As quickly as they could, they covered the windows to keep the draft out.

Daryl looked at Thaliana as her eyes wandered the one-room house. Her shirt stuck to her back and the fact that it was a light color made her raised scars easy to see. He turned away from her when he started noticing her curves.

Thaliana didn't dare open the refrigerator, knowing that whatever was in there before the outbreak had gone bad and she was not going to release whatever mixture of malodorous stenches that swirled around inside. She looked in the freezer and saw nothing but ice cubes.

"I don't suppose you have any food on you?" she exhaled "All I have are a couple of protein bars."

"Guess it's protein bars for dinner, then." Daryl said.

Thaliana handed Daryl a bar and they sat at the table. It was silent as they ate. Daryl made note of the clothes that were folded in the dresser. At least they would have something to change into before they went to sleep for the night. When they finished eating, they looked through the dresser for clothes they could wear. Daryl found a baggy shirt and some drawstring sweatpants without a problem. The clothes that Thaliana found were too small or too long. She huffed out a breath and started going through the clothes of the guy that lived here and settled on a pair of drawstring sweatpants and the only shirt that seemed to fit comfortably without falling off of her.

Now they had to put their wet clothes up to dry. They looked at each other, very aware of the awkward situation that presented itself.

"I guess we each pick a side and stay facing the wall until we're both dressed?" Thaliana presented.

Daryl nodded and left the dresser side to Thaliana while he went over to the side with the refrigerator. They changed in silence, save the wet and dull sounds the clothing made as they were removed. As Thaliana began putting on a dry shirt, she did a double take when she saw Daryl in the mirror on her side. Her eyes lingered a little and a blush crept on her cheeks as she noticed the way his muscles rippled under his skin. She then saw his scars… those raised, angry scars. Immediately, she looked down as she slid the dry shirt over her torso; she remembered how she felt when Daryl and Merle saw her scars. She didn't want Daryl to feel the same way.

Thaliana didn't notice that Daryl had turned around. When he saw her looking down like that and saw the mirror, he realized what happened.

"It's okay if you saw 'em, Thaliana." He said softly. "I'd rather it be you than someone who didn't understand."

The young woman nodded. After they hung their clothes to dry, they looked at the bed and then each other. Daryl offered to sleep on the floor or in the chairs. Thaliana shook her head, saying it was too drafty for him to sleep on the floor and that the chairs were unstable. The one she sat on almost gave way when under her weight and she weighed less than Daryl. They decided they would sleep on the bed like how they did at the CDC; Thaliana at one end and Daryl at the other.

They looked at the puckered old ceiling in silence for a while before Daryl turned to her.

"What made you want to adopt a kid?" Daryl asked

"I wanted to have something different for my life, I guess." She answered after some thought. "I wanted to have someone in my life that I could really love and care about and they would feel the same way about me. I found that with Emiko…"

The images of the time she spent with her to-be daughter flashed through the former assassin's mind. Thaliana's eyes burned as they welled with tears. She missed Emiko so much.

"I shouldn't have given up…" Thaliana whispered as she wiped her eyes.

Without thinking, Daryl moved toward her and pulled her close to him. He tilted her chin up to him, moved her hair out of her face and wiped her tears.

"You didn't know…" Daryl spoke softly "an' it ain't like you didn't try at all."

Thaliana looked in his eyes. There was a softness there that she'd hardly noticed before. Her eyes closed as he rubbed her back comfortingly and his lips pressed to her forehead. She exhaled as she sank against him.

"We'll find her… we'll find 'em both." Daryl assured "I won't stop, an' you won't give up."

Thaliana nodded before looking in his eyes again and they just stared. Daryl noticed that she hadn't flinched or stiffened up when he touched her this time and he was glad for it. He just gazed into her grey eyes, wiping away the last of her tears with his fingertips lingering on her cheek. He hummed the song that Thaliana always sang, not knowing the words. Thaliana just peered up at him, a bit shocked that he did that... but comforted by it. She lifted her arm hesitantly at first, but it ran up his back, stopping at his shoulder blade.

Stillness... silence as they looked at each other for a while.

There was timidity as they pulled closer together until naught but a whisper of space was left between them. Daryl shuddered a little when their lips accidentally grazed against each other. Still, they moved closer. It was a bit clumsy – their kiss, but it was gentle and unrushed. Her lips were so soft and tasted of the lipgloss she'd worn earlier in the day that smelled like peaches. Now he knew it tasted like peaches, too. Thaliana's body rose a little as she slid her hand up to his neck and jaw, her fingers caressing the skin there. Daryl held her tighter in response to her touch. Thaliana pulled back after a while and took a moment before she opened her eyes again. There was a little satisfied smile on Daryl's face as he combed his fingers through her hair.

They stayed in each other's arms, uncaring of the storm raging outside as they fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

_So yeah, stuff is happening… thangs. (I'm sorry, I had to do it)_

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next up is Merle and Emiko._

_Thank you to all the readers worldwide who had part in bringing this story to over 2,000 hits!_

_It makes me happy that you are enjoying the story this much!_

_As always – Thanks for sticking with me!_


	16. A Step Closer

_Another Merle/Emiko Chapter for you guys!_

_I don't own TWD_

_Please enjoy this one!_

….

**A Step Closer**

Emiko and Merle stayed in the house for the past few days, waiting for Emiko's cold to clear up. Finally, they could move on. Merle had finished getting himself dressed for the day. When he came out of his room into the hall, he heard Emiko singing and splashing around a little. The older Dixon proceeded to knock on the bathroom door.

"You almost finished in there, Emi?" he asked.

"Yes." Emiko answered.

"Alright, now; "he said. "Make sure you dry off real good 'fore you come out – don' want you gettin' sick again. I'm gonna start breakfast."

"Okay." She chirped

Merle decided he was going to try and actually cook something. He and Emiko haven't had anything home-cooked for a while and he figured it would make Emiko happy. He went through their food supply and came across a box of pancake mix, a can of powdered eggs, and a can of corned beef hash – Merle was thankful that it had one of those pop-top lids. He found a pan and set it to heat up on the stove. He opened the powdered eggs and reconstituted some for scrambling and went on to make pancake batter as well.

Merle made the pancakes first, making them a little smaller so that they'd be easier to flip and made six pancakes. He then made the scrambled eggs and divided them between their plates. Finally, he cooked the corned beef hash and did the same thing. He called Emiko to the table as he put the food down plate by plate. When Emiko came out in her new clothes, she grabbed cups and utensils as Merle brought over a pitcher of orange juice he made from the frozen stuff.

"This looks _good_, Merle!" the little girl said with a smile, placing the syrup bottle at the table.

Merle smiled back. He was actually quite impressed with himself. It was a little challenging, having to use his right stump and his torso to hold the pan handle… but everything came out decent. He thanked her for the compliment as he placed a fruit cup by her plate. At last, they were able to sit down and eat.

"How many pancakes you want?" Merle asked

"Two, please." The girl grinned.

He placed the pancakes on her plate and poured some syrup on them for her. She thanked him and waited for him to finish making his plate before they started eating. Merle chuckled a little as he saw the girl dive into the pancakes; he mentally patted himself on the back for deciding to make the pancakes smaller as he watched her stick a fork in one and lift the whole pancake off her plate and started biting around the edges.

"You enjoyin' that food, huh?" he chuckled

The girl nodded with bright eyes. After she swallowed the bite of pancake, she took a sip of orange juice and sighed.

"It's really yummy." She added.

"Well, glad you like it." Merle responded.

Emiko smiled and asked to be excused from the table to get something. She ran to her room and came skipping back with a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Merle inquired.

He looked at the paper. It was marked all over with crayon. There was green at the bottom for grass, blue for the clear sky. There was a house with a car next to it. The sun smiled down on the house and the four stick figures in the foreground. It made him smile. He placed the picture on the table and picked up Emiko to sit her on his knee.

"Now, who're these nice people you drew?" he sighed.

Emiko pointed at each one as she explained. "The little one is me….. The next one with the long, curly hair is mommy…. this one with the mustache is your brother…."

"I do recall tellin' you 'bout him…" he chuckled "Now who's this here?" he asked pointing to the last one.

"That's _you_." she chirped.

"That's me?" he repeated "Aw, well …you did a great job – you caught my good side." He chuckled.

Emiko giggled, which made Merle smile a little bigger. He looked at the picture again as he placed his hand around the little girl's shoulders. It was his family… _their_ family. This little girl was giving him a piece of home, whether she realized it or not. Little Emiko looked up at the older Dixon.

"You like it?" she asked quietly

"Yeah…" Merle said, hugging the little girl to him "It's a beautiful picture. You should show it t' your mommy when we find her."

The little girl smiled and hugged Merle. She was grateful to him for protecting, taking care of, and being nice to her while he helped her find her mother. Emiko had no idea where she'd be if they hadn't found each other.

"Love you, Merle." She said, trying reach her arms around him as far she could.

Merle looked down at Emiko, surprised that she said that. He couldn't really recall the last time someone said that to him. It just made what the girl said mean a lot to him. He hugged the girl a little tighter.

"Love you, too, Emi." He said, giving her a quick rub on her shoulder. "Let's finish up here an' get goin'… put the picture 'n your bag, okay?"

Emiko nodded and hopped down to get her bag and Whiskers. She happened to spot a folder on the desk in her room, so she used it to keep the picture neat. She flung on her bear-ear hat and a sweater and came back out with her bag and stuffed rabbit and climbed up on her chair to finish her breakfast with Merle.

...

Merle began to wonder what was up with these cars he'd been finding lately. The engine died on the last one, now this one blew its tires. Merle leaned his head against the steering wheel and sighed in frustration. At least it was better than last time; at least they were close to a small town. Emiko did as she was told and hid under the blanket and waited for Merle to knock on the car before opening the door.

Merle walked into the town and investigated and cleared any walkers he could find. He was about to head back to the car for Emiko when he heard her screaming. He ran back to the car and saw it surrounded by walkers. She had gotten out of the car and tried to escape with her backpack, Merle's pack, and Whiskers by crawling under them, but one grabbed her leg and she was kicking it in the face to make it let her go.

"HELP!" she screamed and cried, seeing Merle run back to her "MERLE, HELP!"

Merle shot the walker that was holding Emiko and she quickly ran to him. He slung his pack over his arm and grabbed Emiko up and made a run for it. The undead that surrounded the car followed after them. That single shot that Merle fired attracted more walkers and soon there were upwards of thirty of those creatures chasing them.

Merle kept running, holding Emiko in his arm, not thinking about her little fingers clawed into his shoulder. He didn't mind it because he knew she was scared. He knew she was trying so hard not to scream and attract more walkers. The moment he turned out onto the road, he saw a line of men with heavy-power guns.

"Hurry, get behind us!" a Hispanic man shouted.

Merle nodded and made his way over. As he did he tried to calm Emiko down. Once they were behind the line, Merle set her down and saw that she was crying.

"Everythin's gonna be okay, little'un; it's gonna be okay real soon." Merle assuaged

"I'm so-s-sorry, Me-Merle…" she was crying so much she couldn't get a full breath. "I thought… I th-thought it was a knock, a-and I looked… I'm sorry." She sobbed

Merle hugged her and assured her it was okay and what mattered was that she was safe. He held Emiko close to him and she covered her ears as the rapid gunshots sounded. It wasn't long before all the zombies had been killed. It was silent for a little while, save the crying and hyperventilating from the little girl and Merle quietly comforting her.

"Sorry if the gunshots scared her." A man said.

Merle stood up with Emiko in his arm, who was still trying to calm down; he assessed the individual. The man was a tall, slim, Caucasian man with brown-grey hair. He wore a button-down shirt, a vest and a bowie knife on his hip. The man moved closer to them and smiled at the little girl.

"Hey, darlin', everything's fine now." The man said kindly "What's your name?"

Emiko pulled back and hid her face in Merle's neck, gripping Whiskers' arm tighter. Merle rubbed her back with his right arm and hitched her up a bit more to keep her from sliding down.

"Emiko's still a lil' shook up… n' she's a shy one, too" Merle said

"Oh, Emiko… that's a pretty name;" the man said "It means 'child graced with beauty' or 'smiling child', right?"

Emiko nodded a little, but she turned a little further away into Merle's shoulder.

"You weren't kiddin' when you said she was shy." The man sighed and gave a chuckle. "Forgive me for prying, but where are her parents?"

"Her mama's a dear friend o' mine; we all got separated n' been tryin' t' find each other since." Merle exhaled "Name's Merle Dixon."

"Philip Blake" the man responded "Good to see a fellow survivor."

Merle nodded in agreement. Philip went around introducing Merle to Martinez, Shumpert, and the rest of the group. He told them about a place where they lived with a lot more survivors and it was safe from the walker threat. He then asked if Merle and Emiko would like to accompany them back to their refuge. After some time to think, Merle agreed and followed them to the cars.

"We goin' someplace a lil' safer, now, Emi." Merle whispered to Emiko.

"I don't like him, Merle." Emiko whispered back.

"I'm gonna make sure nuthin' happens t' you, okay?" Merle said softly.

Emiko nodded, but stayed hugged up to him – even as they were in a car being driven to this safe haven.

"Do you think mommy and your brother are there, Merle?" she said quietly.

Merle exhaled and rubbed Emiko's upper arm. He figured it wasn't likely, but there was always that chance. If they weren't there, he could probably use that place as a base of operations for himself to find out where exactly his family…_their_ family was located.

"Maybe…" Merle said "If not, we jus' keep lookin'."

….

The ride was a long one, long enough for Emiko to fall asleep about a half hour before they got there. Merle didn't bother waking her up when they arrived. He kept Emiko in his left arm and whiskers under his right as the doors were opened before them. Merle wasn't one to be left speechless, but he was without words when he looked over the town. The place seemed untouched and unaffected, with people walking around and functioning as if it were normal, everyday life.

Philip walked up to Merle and smiling, placed a hand on his right shoulder.

"Welcome to Woodbury."

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_So that's it for this chapter! Next one is a Daryl/Thaliana chapter._

_Thank you so much to all the readers, reviewers, favoriters and followers for reading this fanfic_

_I am thankful for each and every one of you._

_As always – Thanks for sticking with me!_


	17. Discover and Restore

_Sorry for the long wait, everyone! _

_After some thought, I think I should post a chapter once weekly, but if I'm able to crank out more than one per week, I will definitely do so._

_I do NOT own TWD…_

_Please enjoy!_

….

**Discover and Restore**

Thaliana jolted awake, barely making a sound. She panted, assessing where she actually was. As she calmed down she realized she was still in the shanty. It was still dark and raining viciously. And Daryl was sleeping at the foot of the bed. She quietly curled up into herself, pressing her lips against her arm. She'd dreamt about him again. She hadn't felt that feeling in a while… that suffocating, overpowering feeling she felt when she saw her father.

This time, she could swear she could feel him hurting her, his hold on her unrelenting. She felt like she couldn't breathe. There was a light this time. Every time she went toward it, she felt her father pulling her back, dragging her back into the darkness. No matter how hard she fought, she ended up further back. She couldn't escape. Her father's words kept echoing, saying that no one would want to be with her except him. No one would love her but him. It made her sick to her stomach.

Thaliana leaned against the wall and curled up, resting her arms on her knees. It seemed like every time she started getting closer to people it would happen. As she thought about her past, she realized that she had kept people at a distance for fear of not understanding, of rejection. She was afraid that her father would be right.

But then… Daryl kissed her. Did he like her? Was it just a moment for comfort… or just that need of human contact? She didn't know. After a while she just dragged a hand through her hair, coming to the conclusion that it was too early in the morning to try and figure it all out. She quickly washed up in the cramped bathroom that only had a small shower and a sink. The toilet was in in an outhouse a few feet away. She shuddered to think what it might've looked or smelled like in there.

….

When Daryl woke up, the dimmed morning seeped into the windows. But that wasn't the first thing he noticed; Thaliana wasn't in his arms. He chuckled a little. More often than not she got up earlier than a rooster. He turned to look behind him and saw Thaliana sitting in the windowsill, dressed in her dry clothes. She looked like she was deep in her thoughts and like she hadn't gotten any good sleep.

"Mornin'…" Daryl yawned as he sat up and stretched his back.

Thaliana turned her head to him and nodded , saying good morning in return. Daryl wasn't used to that. he was used to a little smile when she greeted him., her eyes shining bright at him. She seemed a little distant… preoccupied.

"What's wrong, Thaliana?" he asked.

"Hm?" Thaliana's head whipped around when he asked "Oh, I'm sorry… I was just… thinking."

"What about?" Daryl asked.

"Different things…" Thaliana said, fiddling with her thumb ring. "Emiko and Sophia… this… whole mess we're all in…"

Daryl nodded. he wasn't sure if he should ask about the kiss or not, soon figuring it would be best not to. He told Thaliana he was going to get ready in the bathroom, which he did. Washing up and changing in that bathroom was a moment in his life he was thankful he wasn't a more broad build like his brother. He started laughing to himself, imagining his brother trying to change in a room so tiny: banging around and cursing. When he stepped out of the bathroom, and looked up from buttoning his shirt he saw that Thaliana was gone. Then he heard her labored grunts and snarling. He grabbed his knife and crossbow and ran outside to see her and Lucien fighting off walkers.

Daryl didn't have time for a 'what-the-hell?' moment. He quickly dispatched any walker he could, eventually switching to his knife when he started getting a bit overwhelmed. They kept going until Lucien fell the last walker. The relieved smile on his face disintegrated when he saw the angry expression on Thaliana's.

"How could you be so careless – drawing attention to yourself like that?!" she whispered harshly. "And then….leading them here!" she said in a louder whisper.

Lucien had found a house filled with walkers. When he backed away he climbed over the car to get away. This set off the alarm and attracted more walkers that were roaming another farm. He ran until he got to the shanty that Daryl and Thaliana were holed up in. Daryl raised his crossbow and moved.

"How the hell did you find us so quickly?" Daryl glowered.

Lucien had that look in his eye. Thaliana's mouth opened and her eyes closed part way as her brows furrowed.

"You put a tracker on me?" She couldn't believe it "You put it in my ring, didn't you?" she surmised.

She kept her eyes on him as she pulled off the thumb ring she always wore and checked the inside. when she saw that the inscription inside was not there. She strode up to him and held the ring up to his face. She asked him when he did changed the rings.

"One of your stays with LeSabre; you left your ring at the dining room table, receiving a call before you had a chance to put it on.." He answered honestly. "I'd actually forgotten about it until recently." He said.

"I want my ring back when we get to camp, Lucien… as soon as we get back." Thaliana said in a calm, stern tone after taking a moment to breathe.

"Of course." Lucien said casually. "It's not like I have to track you anymore."

Thaliana shook her head, cursing in Amharic.

...

Daryl, Thaliana and Lucien continued the search for Sophia together. It was a silent and tense trek. Daryl eyed Lucien. His trust level for that guy sank much lower after the tracking device. Thaliana was just fed up with Lucien. However, they stayed on the task at hand. Finding Sophia and Emiko. At least with Lucien, they could cover more ground as they can sweep houses and land faster. They searched tirelessly for hours, moving further and further out. Their clothes, their bodies soaked through and through.

"This house is empty too." Lucien sighed. "If anyone has been in there, it was at the very least, a week ago."

Thaliana exhaled shakily. That could have been Emiko. Daryl gave her that look she knew all too well; that look he gave whenever he asked or checked to see if she was okay. The young woman nodded in response and suggested they should keep moving, when they heard screaming. They all turned in the direction of the noise. It was in the woods.

They ran across the field as fast as they could and into the wooded terrain. As they swept the wooded area, the screaming became louder.

"Sophia!" Daryl and Thaliana called simultaneously. "Emiko!"

They kept running until Thaliana was bumped into from behind, causing her to fall to the muddy ground on her side. Thaliana scrambled to sit up with a knife in her hand. When she saw what grabbed her, she quickly dropped her blade.

"Jesus Christ… "Thaliana breathed as she hugged the young girl. "Sophia, are you okay?!"

The girl said nothing. Thaliana lifted the girl's head. Her face was drawn in and she looked very dehydrated. The girl must have exerted the last of her energy to get to them.

"We need a car." Thaliana said "She won't make it if we go back on foot."

Lucien immediately spotted a car and checked the door. It was open, but there were no keys to be found. Faint groaning could be heard from across the field. Daryl turned and saw the hoard starting to eek its way through the woods. Lucien worked quickly, trying to wire the car to start. The herd was getting closer. Daryl and Thaliana knew that the herd was too big for all three of them to handle, especially with a weakened Sophia in tow.

"Hurry up, Lucien!" Thaliana whispered .

"You guys get in the car, I'm almost finished." Lucien said.

Thaliana picked up Sophia and got into the backseat, whispering to Sophia that everything will be okay. Daryl kept his eye on the hoard, just in case their attention turned over to them. It seemed like they were all going in a different direction. Until a piece of the herd noticed them and broke off from the pack to pursue.

"Shit…" Daryl muttered. It was a large piece of the herd coming after them. "We can't lead 'em to the farm." He said.

"On our way up here, I noticed a road where we can lose them." Lucien said "We'll go there – now get in, Dixon."

As soon as Daryl rounded the car to the front passenger seat, Lucien was able to start the car. The sound attracted more undead. Lucien got in and floored the pedal, making his way down to the road he saw. He knew that the walkers couldn't catch them in the car, but he knew that driving the car in the direction of the farm directly would mean trouble eventually. As they fled, Daryl looked at Thaliana through the rear view mirror. He huffed a chuckle when he saw the former assassin holding Sophia close to her, comforting her and telling the little girl that she'd be with her mother soon.

...

""They didn't come back…" Carol said pacing back and forth in the RV. "They said they were going to be back yesterday."

Dale stood up from the table and placed comforting hands on her shoulders. There was so much worry in her eyes. Worry for Sophia, for Thaliana and Daryl, the group. Dale started noticing some changes in people as well.

"I'm sure they're out there waiting out the storm for a while until they can resume their search." Dale offered "They're looking out for each other and they're doing what they can to find Sophia." he assured. "They're no good to anyone if they run around out there and catch pneumonia."

Carol shook her head and slumped down a little in her seat. She put her head in her hands and sighed, her eyes turning to the Cherokee rose in the beer bottle that Daryl gave her. Just looking at it helped restore some faith in her. They would do their absolute best to find her.

It wasn't long before Carol and Dale started hearing a lot of commotion outside

...

"Carry her to her mother, Lucien." Thaliana said quietly as they drove closer to the farm.

Her arms burned and ached from holding Sophia in the same place as they made they long drive back to the farm. Lucien nodded and did so once they pulled onto the property. Carol stepped out of the RV and couldn't believe it at first, gasping her daughter's name before running to Lucien.

"Oh, my poor baby…" she cried as she took Sophia from the Portuguese man, thanking him for his help in finding her daughter.

Dale offered the bed in his RV to make it easier to care for Sophia, she took up the offer. As everyone clamored around, happy and relieved that Sophia was safe and with the group again, Thaliana remained in the car. She was soaked, tired and dirty from the shoulder down due to the fall… but she was happy that Sophia was found. Now they needed to locate Emiko.

Daryl moved to the back seat and sat beside Thaliana. She sighed and looked at him with a weary smile.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, sporting a tired smile of his own.

Thaliana just looked at Daryl for a moment and, without warning, she leaned in to Daryl, pressing her lips to his. Daryl jerked slightly, but soon accepted her kiss as he pulled her into him and cradled the back of her head. It wasn't as clumsy this time, but still gentle and languid. After a while, Daryl pulled back and looked into Thaliana's eyes, moving her hair from in front of her face to see her gaze warmly back at him. They knew now that there was something there between them… and now so did Carol, who cleared her throat gently to get their attention.

"Sorry to disturb you two…" Carol grinned knowingly.

Daryl and Thaliana moved away from each other quickly and started to get out of the car.

"Oh, don't get up on my account." She said, ducking down into the car's rear left doorway. "I just wanted to thank you guys so much for finding my little girl." She smiled "I'm grateful that you found her before anything bad happened."

"It's no problem." Daryl nodded "Glad we found her, too."

"Once she gets some food and water in her she'll be fine" Thaliana said.

Carol nodded and smiled again. "Okay, I'm out your hair, guys; I'll let you get back to what you were doing."

Daryl smiled a little and turned to Thaliana, who was chuckling softly. He smirked and pulled her back toward him to finish up that kiss.

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_Yay for Sophia not dying!_

_The next chapter is a Merle/Emiko Chapter._

_Thank you very much for reading this story and I hope you are continuing to enjoy it!_

_As always – Thanks for sticking with me!_


	18. Quality Time

_I decided to make this chapter a hybrid of Merle and Emiko and another set of characters._

_Special shout out to my very first guest reviewer – thank you so much for reading!_

_I don't own TWD_

_Please enjoy this chapter!_

**_Note: This chapter has been updated._**

….

**Quality Time**

"I don't like it here…." Emiko pouted. "They keep making you go do stuff and I only see you a little bit now… 'snot' fair."

Merle chuckled and crouched down to pet Emiko's head. Ever since they'd arrived in Woodbury about a month back, Merle has helped out here and there. It caught The Governor's attention. He'd ask Merle to do more involved things once in a while, which the older Dixon completed very much to Blake's liking. The Governor started to trusting Merle more, even having Milton make an apparatus for his right arm.

Getting that trust made it easier for Merle to attempt to get information he could use to find their family, but it meant less time with Emiko. They haven't been able to spend as much time together as they used to and Emiko had to stay with other people while he was out.

"I don't like it here, Merle…" the little girl muttered, pressing her face to Whiskers and pouting.

"I miss spendin' time with you too, Emi." Merle said calmly, picking her up in his left arm as they strolled through town "Doin' this is gonna make it easier t' find our family." He whispered to the girl.

"Our family?" Emiko repeated "I thought mommy didn't have brothers and sisters…"

"Well, I think o' your mama as a lil' sister." Merle said

The girl had an expression of realization on her face.

"So… we're family _here_." Emiko inferred as she placed her hand on Merle's chest where she thought the heart was. "That's what Miss 'Cartwhite' used to say – that family isn't always by blood… but always by love." She said quietly.

Merle smiled at the little girl over how well she understood. Their bonds and the way they care for each other is what made them family. His heart twinged a little; he missed Daryl and Thaliana greatly. But he had Emiko: this chipper little girl that kept him on his toes… and maybe softened him a little.

Before Thaliana, he was angry at the world for the hand he and his brother were dealt in life and so he latched onto anything he could release his anger through. She, like him, knew that the world wasn't fair… his only regret was not having changed it for something better. When he found Emiko, he noticed he'd started changing more… and actually starting to like what he was becoming; he still had his edge about him, but now he had so much more to protect .

"That's right, little'un…" Merle said softly "That's where it matters."

Emiko smiled and hugged Merle as hitched her up more comfortably on his left arm, since he was wearing the apparatus on his right. He didn't pay much attention to the smiling women and their 'how adorable' comments as he strolled down the street, just a simple nod or 'good morning' as he passed. Today was his time with Emiko, one-hundred percent. As long as he wasn't going to be sent out, he was going to be with her.

"Sooooo, I should call you _'Uncle_ Merle', then?" Emiko asked.

"You can if you want, darlin'." Merle sighed. He looked around the area where they were "Where do you wanna go first?" he asked.

"Library, please, Uncle Merle." The little girl grinned "Then we go to the park?"

"Sure, Emi." Merle chuckled. "Sounds like a good time t' me."

Merle rounded the corner and made his way to the library as Emiko told him the books she wanted to read, how high she wanted to go on the swing and so many other things that just made the man laugh and smile at the beaming little girl.

….

"Dale?" Lucien called quietly.

It was early morning and Dale had just gone to sleep an hour or so ago after helping to take care of Sophia. Lucien felt bad for the older man sleeping at his dining room table, but he knew it was out of kindness that Dale endured it. Lucien gently shook the man awake.

"Dale?" he repeated gently.

Dale groaned a little and gradually roused from sleep. He turned to Lucien, covering his mouth to yawn.

"Son, an old man needs his rest." Dale sighed as he sat up.

"Absolutely." Lucien said "Though. I think you can get better rest in my tent… I can sleep at the table…" Lucien patted his back firmly "Years of farm work will help me endure the table tonight." He joked.

Dale smiled a little and nodded. He asked if Lucien was sure, but the Portuguese man insisted. Dale shrugged and thanked him as he headed to the tent. As Dale left, Lucien walked further into the RV and sat next to Carol.

"How is she?" Lucien inquired with a gentle smile.

"I've never seen Sophia eat so fast." Carol chuckled through her sniffles "I had to tell her to come up for air." She joked.

They looked over Sophia as she rested. She still looked a little drawn in from not eating all that time she'd been out there on her own. Carol was just so grateful that her daughter was returned to her with only dehydration and hunger. She remembered the countless prayers she whispered, the assurances of Dale, Thaliana, Daryl, and Lucien… Lucien. He barely knew her and was willing to risk his own safety to find a girl he'd only seen once in a photo that Carol kept. She turned to him and crossed her arms.

"Why'd you do it?" Carol asked quietly. "You barely know us."

"I can't sit by when someone cries for her child." Lucien said after a moment. "I know what it's like to have your daughter go missing."

Carol leaned away a little "You have a daughter?"

Lucien nodded and pulled a picture of his daughter and gave it to Carol. The slender girl had tanned skin like her father. Her pin straight hair was very long, thick and dark. She had happy eyes and an infectious smile. She looked back to Lucien and noticed a sadness in his eyes as he smiled at the photograph.

"She's beautiful." Carol said "What was her name?"

"Aliciana." Lucien sighed "She was a very sweet, very polite, brilliant girl." He started "Would never hurt a fly… and she loved to paint so much; I'd let her paint murals on the walls in her room and we'd go to the store at least twice a month for paint'' he laughed.

His smile faded a bit and he was silent for a moment.

"My daughter… I took her with me whenever I left home in Monaco and she would work with her teachers in virtual classrooms." Lucien said.

His smile had gone now.

"The day… all this started, I'd gone to get a little cake to celebrate her getting straight A's and a dress for her to wear when we went out to dinner." He said "When I got back, she'd gone missing… it was a month before I found her roaming amongst the walkers… as one of them." he looked at Carol. "I didn't want you to go through what I'm dealing with right now… it's painful… I'm glad we were able to find her in time." He added, with a small smile in Carol's direction.

Carol leaned toward Lucien and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Lucien." She whispered before leaning back into her seat. "Thank you for saving my baby girl."

"Not a problem, Carol." he said. After a stretch of silence, Lucien looked at Carol again. "Listen... I apologize for how we first met." he said "It was sudden and really strong.. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Carol chuckled a little. "It was weird, but... I was flattered, I guess." she said. "Maybe... start slower... way less intense."

Lucien sat up a little more and looked at Carol "Alright, I can do that." he held out his hand "Hello, pleasure to make your acquaintance" he started "My name is Lucien Davi."

Carol smiled a little as she shook his hand "Carol Peletier... nice to meet you, Lucien."

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_So that's it for this one! The next chapter will be a Daryl/Thaliana chapter._

_Thank you again, all you readers out there all over the world – I love you guys!_

_As, always: Thank you so much for sticking with me!_


	19. For a Moment, Only Us

_So here is a long Daryl/Thaliana chapter for you guys._

_I don't own TWD_

_Please enjoy!_

….

**For a Moment, Only Us**

The group lost the farm. It had been overrun by throngs of the undead. The group fought hard and tried to escape as fast as they could. Sophia was picked up by Thaliana as Daryl rescued Carol. They lost a lot at the farm.

Most importantly, they lost people – all of whom family or like family. The Greenes lost Patricia and Jimmy. Thaliana's group… they lost Andrea in the frey…and Dale before the final farm incident. Daryl held Thaliana as she cried. For her, it was like losing a father. She respected him greatly. It would be easy to sit and be depressed. It was much more difficult to press on. When they were safe, when the group was somewhere safer than the road, she would mourn. For now… supplies, shelter, clothes for the coming winter.

….

Thaliana and Daryl took her Maybach to go on a supply run and agreed to return in two days. They knew that at this point, supplies were more on the scarce side and it would take time to gather what was needed for the group. It seemed like the mom 'n' pop shops were just about bare. The surplus stores around the area had next to nothing. As they traveled further, they found less and less in the stores. They weren't going to risk the big city unless they had no choice. Until that time, they raided cars and houses.

"Houses would be a better shot for coats anyway." Thaliana said quietly "It was much warmer when this started."

Daryl nodded and looked briefly in her direction. "How you holdin' up?" he asked.

Thaliana knew well enough that he was referring to Dale. Otherwise, he'd have asked if she were okay. She nodded and stared out the window.

"I don't want to lose anyone else." She said "It feels like… parts of me keep getting cut away, every time I try to get close…"

"Don't you dare." Daryl interjected "Ain't your fault, what happened – so don't start blamin' yourself." He said, placing a comforting had on Thaliana's knee "We ain't gonna lose any more family… an' we gonna find your baby girl."

Thaliana nodded and resumed staring out the window. She placed her hand over his and squeezed his hand a little. Daryl looked at Thaliana briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. they drove until the found a small residential area. Daryl parked the car and looked at Thaliana.

"Ready, Thal?" the archer asked quietly

"Yeah." The assassin responded as she grabbed her hook swords and bowie knife.

Daryl nodded and pulled her in for a quick kiss before they got out of the car. Thaliana pointed her head at the house furthest up the block. Daryl agreed silently. They would start from the furthest point and work their way back to the car. Thaliana would be in front to deal with anything in a shorter range and Daryl would back her up, taking out anything further away. He didn't like the idea of Thaliana in front of him, he'd rather be in front in case anything got hairy… she could get away. But his better sense knew it would be more effective for both of their safety.

"House is clear." Thaliana sighed "Good thing most of these houses have one floor."

"Yeah… may end up gettin' back quicker than we thought." Daryl said.

The pair used their time to find coats and warm clothes, food and medicine, and searched to see if Emiko had been in the area. They went through house after house until they had about double what they needed. Both of them were pretty amazed with how much they found. They packed things in boxes and totes and started to take things to the car. They kept going and filled the trunk and back seat, working into the night. Not a single walker. It'd been some time since they had such an easy supply run.

They went through the final, two-story house and packed everything they could. Thaliana found a gun cabinet with a couple of long range firearms and ammo and took those. She walked into the living room and showed them to Daryl with a quirked eyebrow.

"Sexy, huh?" Thaliana smirked.

"Hell yeah." Daryl replied with his usual quiet rumble. "Guns look nice, too."

Thaliana shook her head, realizing she walked into that one and chuckled as she tossed the empty gun to Daryl for him to look at. He liked the craftsmanship of it and the group could always use more weapons. He tossed it back and pointed his head to the car outside. Daryl shouldered a tote and slowly opened the door, but quickly and quietly closed it again, cursing under his breath.

"Big ass herd getting ready to pass through… real big."

Thaliana nodded and quickly closed all the curtains in the house. Daryl blocked off the doors with anything heavy. They found some big candles and lit them before killing the lights. It was so quiet in the house. The groaning and shuffling seemed so loud compared to the highway and the farm. They stayed quiet, waiting for almost an hour before they were absolutely certain they were no longer in earshot of them.

"Hungry?" Thaliana asked, turning to Daryl.

"Fuckin' starvin'." Daryl answered.

Thaliana smiled and chuckled softly. She gave him a strong pat on the front of his shoulder and told him she'd fix something. She went through the cabinets in the kitchen, since they hadn't looked through them yet. She found some cans of soup, some broth based and some heavier, creamy soups. She pulled the creamy soups and put them on the counter. She looked in the freezer and found frozen vegetables and a loaf of bread. She smiled… bread…. She hadn't had bread since those gas station burgers. She set up some pots and whipped up dinner. She also found a packaged bowl.

"Manwhich Heat 'n' Serve…" she muttered.

The smell of what she was heating brought Daryl into the kitchen. He stood behind Thaliana, looking over her shoulder. He saw the Manwich mixture, the mixed vegetables and the soup bubbling. He looked and saw toasted bread peeking up from the toaster.

"We eatin' like kings tonight." Daryl mused. "Least we got somethin' hot to eat this time."

"Better than a protein bar." Thaliana chuckled. "There's probably enough for us to have some in the morning, too."

Daryl nodded. Hot food in the morning sounded good to him. He went through the cabinets and drawers, finding some plates and utensils for them and set them at the table in the dining room. he noticed a lit candle in the corner on a little table of knick knacks. He picked it up and put it in the center of the table before going back to the kitchen to help Thaliana bring the food in.

"Didn't know you were a romantic…" Thaliana teased

Daryl just smirked and set down the food "Don't like not seein' what I'm eatin'." He said. "It's damn dark in here without the candles."

"The curtains are pretty thick and heavy." Thaliana replied. "I just wish the heat was on… whoever lived here must not have paid their gas bill before the outbreak."

No gas meant there wasn't hot water. Boiling water for a bath seemed ridiculous, since you'd basically be washing your body with filthy water. And the thought of bathing in one's own dirt wasn't all that appealing to Thaliana. As Daryl and Thaliana ate they talked for a while, flirted and made jokes. Thaliana's smile faded just a little bit, as she started pushing her spoon through the soup.

"If we somehow… outlive this…" Thaliana began softly "What would you want to do?"

Daryl stared at her for a moment, noticing how the candlelight illuminated her face and made her eyes seem to glow. She had such a soft expression… and it was directed at him. a little blush crept across his face and he cleared his throat.

"Haven't thought about it, really…" Daryl said quietly "Cert'nly be startin' fresh like everyone else."

"That's true." Thaliana nodded "I think it's safe to say you, me… Merle and Emi… we needed one."

The archer nodded at her words. They all definitely needed a way to break from their pasts. They all seemed to find that with each other. He started to wonder how Merle was doing. They've yet to cross paths since the camp. He knew that his brother was okay… wherever he was.

After they finished eating, they cleared the table and put the plates in the sink. They took a candle to the master bedroom. Daryl would've taken one of the other three rooms, but those were children's beds.

"You sure you okay sharin' a bed?" Daryl asked.

"Daryl, it's not like we haven't slept in the same bed before." Thaliana chuckled.

"I know it… but it…feels kinda different."

Thaliana walked up to Daryl and pressed onto her tiptoes of her boots. Her lips captured his in a soft but deepened kiss. Daryl exhaled as he wrapped an arm around her waist. When she pulled back her lips grazed his, tracing them.

"It's not like we've never slept in each other's arms before, either." She whispered. "And it's colder now than when we were in the shack…"

"I know it, Thal." Daryl whispered back "I'm tryin'… I don't want it to turn into somethin' both o' us ain't ready for."

Thaliana looked up into his blue eyes. She blushed a little, feeling a growing bulge press against her thigh. Daryl looked away and pulled back, cursing under his breath. Even in a time like this, he was being such a gentleman. He wanted to take things slow. Daryl looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He wanted her… he wanted Thaliana for so long. But with what happened to her, he didn't know if he should go further. He loved her and was willing to wait as long as it took until she was ready to go there with him.

Thaliana set her hook swords aside and walked over to Daryl again, removing the crossbow from his shoulder as she pressed up to kiss him again. The younger Dixon slowly wrapped his arms around her, holding her closer to him, a hand threaded into her twisted hair. He tentatively ran his tongue along the seam of her lips. Thaliana opened her mouth to him, letting out a muffled yelp of surprise at the feel of his tongue moving around in her mouth, flicking against her soft pallet, licking her tongue. As she pulled back, they panted softly as they looked in each other's eyes. Suddenly, the room wasn't all that chilly anymore.

"We can work our way there…" Thaliana blushed at herself for offering the suggestion.

Daryl looked in her eyes as she guided him to the bed. She placed the crossbow beside the dresser and removed her boots. Daryl toed his boots off and picked Thaliana up, wrapping her legs around him as he climbed into the bed. Thaliana exhaled as the weight of his body pressed against hers. She lifted her head to kiss him again as he straightened up to give some space to breathe better.

Their breathing was a little heavier when he pulled back to gaze at her, admiring the woman's beauty. The radiance of her skin, her shimmering grey eyes, the soft smile on her face… it was a look only he got to see. She ran her hand through his hair, biting her lip. She was a little nervous. It was the first time she'd willingly been this close to a man… a real man. Daryl was the most comfortable she'd ever felt around one.

There was a sameness, and understanding of how unfair the world was, how cruel it could be – even to the young and innocent. It took that world they knew disappearing, it took breaking their own barriers to get to this point. In an odd way, they were grateful the world had ended… otherwise they'd have never crossed paths, never found their match. They'd have been too blind or too scared to see it.

Daryl kissed the corner of her lips and down her jawline to her neck, inhaling her. He loved when she smelled like cherry blossoms, but her natural scent… that sweet scent that was just her drove him crazy. He buried his face in her neck; kissing, nipping and laving at the soft skin there, as he ran his hands over her clothed body. She tasted as sweet as he'd imagined.

Thaliana exhaled and closed her eyes, craning her neck to him more. She bit her lip as she made a small noise. Daryl allowed himself a quiet groan as she started to wriggle around beneath him, that extra friction against him was welcome in his mind. He kissed back up to her lips and claimed them with his own. It was a rougher, hungrier kiss filled with want. Thaliana responded in kind, biting his bottom lip gently as she tugged his hair a little. He groaned softly as he pulled back, deciding he liked having his hair pulled a little.

He looked at Thaliana with questioning eyes as his fingertips skimmed just under the hem of her shirt. She gave a single nod as she pressed herself up to kiss him again. Daryl's hand disappeared up her shirt, slowly caressing the warm, smooth skin of her flat stomach. He kissed to her ear to nibble at the lobe, which made her giggle a little. Daryl chuckled against her skin as his lips made their way back down to her neck.

Thaliana sighed, focusing on how his hands and mouth were making her feel. She gasped softly when his hand brushed over one of her breasts. He took her lips again, swallowing the soft moan that escaped her. She decided to do a little exploring of her own as her dainty fingers finessed the buttons of his shirt until they were all undone. Thaliana's hands roamed his skin. It felt smooth and hot under her touch.

Daryl didn't even flinch when her hands circled around him and slid up his back. It was the first time he didn't care about his scars freaking someone out. He was with someone that understood the pain they carried, each one a dreadful memory. Her hands didn't avoid them, didn't ever falter in their movement.

He wanted more… so much more than this. Thaliana was driving him mad, grinding against him, pulling his hair, touching and kissing him. Daryl let out a groan that edged on a whimper when he started grinding back. It had been so long since he'd gotten this close with a woman. His eyes bore into to her, reflecting his desire for this woman who lay beneath him as she greedily took in air. He tugged gently at her bra, again seeking permission to go further. He was surprised when Thaliana removed her shirt. She placed her hands on either side of his face and leaned in with a tender kiss. He was so distracted by her soft lips he almost didn't notice her reach down between them until he heard his belt hit the floor.

He looped his thumb under the middle of her bra and carefully pulled it up, almost licking his lips in anticipation. His eyes drank in her nearly naked upper half, the small nipples of her generous bust hardening in the cold air of the room. He leaned down, kissing her neck as he fondled her newly exposed flesh, nipping and sucking along her collarbone and licking down the valley of her chest before flicking his tongue at one of her hardened buds.

Thaliana gasped and bit her lip, holding back a moan as he continued his ministrations. She reached down again, undoing his jeans and reaching in, surprising both herself and Daryl. She started slowly, looking up at him as she stroked him, her closed hand sliding up and down his hardened flesh. She wasn't really sure if she was doing it right.

"Shit." Daryl whispered.

He froze for a moment, enjoying what she was doing to him. Another rumble bubbled in his chest when she tightened her hold a little and went faster. She was bringing him on. He huffed out a breath as he quickly unbuttoned and unzipped her pants; there was no way he was coming first, not until he sated her. He pulled her pants down just a little to make it easier. He slid his rough hand down beneath all the fabric that covered her rubbing gently at first, laving at her neck as she panted. He proceeded to invade her wet folds and rub her more, focusing the tips of his fingers at that sensitive node stored away there.

She jolted at the invasion, which would have made Daryl stop if she hadn't gasped his name. He went a bit faster and watched her as she closed her eyes and pressed her head back into the pillows, letting out a moan. He was leaving her breathless as he sank a finger into her, assaulted her neck with his lips, teeth, and tongue.

He kept watching her - eager to coax her into another moan, a call of his name. he pressed a second finger into her. Slowly pumping them, searching for something. Thaliana winced at the feeling, but when she focused on how good he was making her body feel, it was forgotten. The world outside of them was forgotten. It was just him. It was just her.

Thaliana almost let out a loud moan when his fingers pressed and grazed against something inside her. Daryl quickly covered her lips with his own, swallowing yet another moan from her body. Her hand found way into his hair again, tugging it harder as she panted and gasped desperately for air.

It wasn't long until they were both trembling and moaning loudly, unable to control it anymore. Harder and faster. He buried his face in her neck, groaning as he came, but he didn't stop even as her body arched up to him, he latched his mouth onto her breast and kept going until she collapsed limply back onto the bed. They looked at each other, greedily gasping for air. She smiled a tired smile as she caressed his face and chuckled softly when he smiled back. He pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes and expelling a satisfied sigh.

They stayed cuddled up to one another as their breathing evened. Gentle touches, languid kisses. Daryl littered Thaliana's chest with soft kisses as he fixed her bra back in place and gave her his shirt to put on.

"Daryl, I could just put my shirt back on." She giggled

"Naw, it's okay." He mumbled "I'd rather my woman have a warm shirt off my back than a cold one off the floor."

He grinned when he saw Thaliana's little smile. Just as she put on the shirt, he pulled her to him, spooning her as he nuzzled the crook of her neck.

"Won't you be cold in your undershirt?" Thaliana yawned, resting her arm on his that was around her waist.

"Blanket's thick enough." Daryl murmured before kissing her neck again "An' I got you." he smirked

"A gentleman and a charmer, I see." Thaliana giggled softly "How did I get so lucky?"

Daryl kissed her clothed shoulder and nestled into her neck again. "I think _I'm_ the lucky one." He whispered.

Thaliana smiled sleepily as Daryl pulled her even closer. The bade each other a quiet good night and let their fatigue take them into blissful slumber.

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_My first lime!_

_I didn't think I had it in me…_

_So the next chapter is a mostly Merle chapter._

_Thank you, readers, for bringing this fic to 3200+ views!_

_As always – Thanks for sticking with me!_


	20. Stubborn

_Here is a… mostly Merle chapter for you guys._

_I apologize for the long wait._

_I don't own TWD_

_Please enjoy!_

….

**Stubborn**

Emiko smiled when Merle came home. He'd been gone for a whole day. It was the longest she'd gone without being with her uncle. And it was snowing so much, she worried he was trapped somewhere. She ran so fast, almost knocking him over when she greeted him.

"You were gone so long, Uncle Merle…" she sniffled "I got scared…"

The older Dixon chuckled as he crouched down and ruffled her hair, which made her giggle out in that warble he thought was just adorable.

"Sorry it took so long t' get back, little'un." He said "Had to make sure I got you the perfect things while I was out there workin'."

The little girl tilted her head in confusion "Why? 'Snot' my birthday yet…" she said.

"I know it… but I reckon it's pretty close t' Christmas…" Merle answered.

The days had long since run into one another, unless someone was keeping a calendar, holidays were probably forgotten to an extent. But Merle wanted to keep Emiko's life as normal as possible as he searched for their family. As he was out on assignment, he figured he'd get Emiko a few Christmas presents. The other guys sort of laughed under their breath, but he didn't care. What mattered was that Emiko was happy… even in a world like this. He went to one of the ladies in town with the presents and some stuff to wrap it. Even if he had his right hand, he wasn't really good at stuff like that and he knew the paper was just going to be ripped to shreds, but he still wanted it pretty for Emiko.

"I didn't get you anything for Christmas, Uncle Merle…" Emiko pouted, feeling bad that it was just her getting gifts.

Merle just chuckled and picked the girl up in his left arm.

"Emi, all I want for Christmas is to see you happy." He murmured.

The little girl smiled at him, but it was a tired looking smiled. He frowned a little when he saw her eyes looking rather glassy. Then she had a coughing fit. He quickly put her down and placed his hand on her forehead.

"Damn it… you burnin' up!" he exclaimed. "How the hell'd this happen?"

"You cursed!" Emiko coughed

"Not now, Emi – c'mon n' get dressed."

He helped little Emiko bundle up and he took her to see Woodbury's doctor. Thankfully, no one else was waiting to see her. The doctor put them in an exam room and Merle watched anxiously as the doctor assessed her.

"Emiko, did you do anything outside yesterday during the blizzard?" the doctor asked.

The little girl looked at Merle and turned away just as quickly, raising Merle's suspicions.

"She can't help you if you don't answer, little'un." Merle advised.

Emiko sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap. She explained that while Mrs. Talbert – the woman that Merle usually asked to watch Emiko – was in the bathroom, she'd gone outside to search for Merle. She'd gone out in her slippers and pajamas, a sweater and her bear-ear hat. The little girl quickly said that Mrs. Talbert went out to find her the moment she noticed, which was also the truth.

Merle shook his head and chuckled a little. He was flattered that the girl was so attached to him and was so worried about him. Still, he was worried about her being sick. For all he knew she could have ended up with the flu or pneumonia or something. He was visibly relieved when the doctor told him it was just bad cold.

"Here's some medicine for Emi's cold." the doctor said to Merle "Lots of fluids and bed rest for the little darling; also, you may want to boost your vitamin C intake, Mr. Dixon, so you don't end up sick yourself."

Merle nodded and thanked the doctor and bundled Emiko back up to carry her home.

"Sorry, Uncle Merle…" she sniffled. "Are you mad at me?"

"I ain't mad, doll... think it's nice you were concerned." Merle assuaged "jus' listen when I tell you t' stay with Mrs. Talbert an' trus' me when I say I'll be back, understand?"

Emiko nodded as she pulled up her scarf over her face. Merle smiled and kissed the Emiko's forehead. He was about half way home when he saw a woman with curly red hair frantically wandering the streets. He shook his head and sighed. He forgot to tell Mrs. Talbert that he had taken Emiko to the doctor. With the way she spoke and read lip, one would forget she went deaf in her early teens.

"Oh, god…" Talbert panted "Mr. Dixon, I'm so s-"

Merle just shook his head and grinned "Naw, it's my fault for not tellin' you I took 'er t' the doctor."

Talbert exhaled and smiled. Merle handed Emiko and her medicine over to the woman, telling the woman that he had to get some supplies and he would be back in a few hours. Talbert nodded and turned to Emiko who now had tears running down her face.

"I promise, I'll only be gone a few hours, Emi; don't give Mrs. Talbert a hard time." He said

Emiko nodded and promised to stay with the woman. He smiled and pet her head. He walked back with Mrs. Talbert and Emiko to his house so he could get the car. Emiko sniffled when Merle gave her another kiss on her forehead and promised again that he would be back soon. As Mrs. Talbert brought Emiko into the Dixon residence, the little girl watched with sad eyes as he got in the car and left again.

….

Merle hit the steering wheel as a stream of profane words fountained from his mouth. The snow on the road he turned down had a hidden layer of ice and he ended up stuck in a snow bank.

"God damn it!" he huffed

He got out of the car and closed the door, locking the car up and hoping no one would steal it or the supplies he found. He was looking for a store that would have something like a shovel. He knew it was going to be hell trying to dig it out. He found a clothing store and went it. He removed his arm attachment and lined it with a sweater to buffer his skin from the cold metal. He trudged on, looking for someplace that had a shovel. With all the snow on the ground, a ten minute walk took twenty. He kept going until he found a general store.

He went inside and saw that all the walkers inside had been stabbed in the head or a large piece of it was on the floor somewhere. He looked at the pools of blood… it wasn't even close to dried. That wasn't his problem, though… he just needed a shovel and some salt. As he went through the shelves he heard a noise. It was a very small, very faint sound. He was certain there was someone or something in the store with him. He was being tracked… from the moment he stepped in. he protracted the blade in his arm attachment and flattened himself against an aisle partition.

He slowly and quietly made his way to the end of the aisle. He peered around the corner to see the heel of a boot disappear. He quickly turned in time to block the strike that came toward him. the sound of metal clanging against metal rang through the quiet building. He finally got to see the face of who was watching him in the store. Her brown eyes glowered as she looked at him.

"I ain't here for a fight, girl." Merle exhaled "Jus' wanna get my ride unstuck n' go home."

"Same here…" the woman said "Just want to get medicine for a sick friend."

She backed away from him slowly, sword still drawn. When she was sure he wasn't going to attack she put her sheathed her katana.

"Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours." The woman said quietly.

"Aw, don't be like that, darlin'" Merle smirked "I could end up bein' your bes' friend…" he added as he retracted the blade.

The woman rolled her eyes and walked off to get the medicine. Merle used the opportunity to look her over. Her skin was deep brown, darker and redder compared to Thaliana's deep golden-olive skin. Her dark hair in dreadlocks kept back with a scarf or bandanna . He almost laughed out loud because his first thought when he saw this woman… was that she was attractive. He was attracted to this woman.

…..

God is surely gettin' his kick outta my ass right now. On any other day, before the world went to shit, I'd of told someone otherwise n' kept true to it. I guess I could chalk it up t' being lonely at the end o' the world… but that wouldn't account for the women that've tried t' throw themselves at me since I started stayin' in Woodbury. In the months I stayed there, I didn't see what I saw in the mere moments I was around…. Shit, I don' even know 'er name…

….

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop staring at my ass…" the woman said.

"Sorry, darlin'… can you really blame a man for lookin' though?" Merle grinned.

"Just don't get any ideas." The woman huffed as she looked through the shelves.

Merle grinned. She had bite to her. Much like another woman he knew. He looked out the window and noticed the storm was getting worse. They weren't going to get back to where they came from tonight.

"Damn it." Merle muttered

"You say something?" the woman asked

"Storm's getting' bad…. We stuck here, darlin'."

"Stop calling me that."

"Well, what the hell else should I call you? Ain't like I know your name…" Merle said as he started dragging bodies outside.

The woman exhaled and started helping after a while. "Michonne…" she exhaled "My name is Michonne."

"Merle…. Pleased to meet you." he grinned.

Michonne just gave a simple nod and went about perusing the store after clearing the bodies. Merle looked out the window again and sighed. He promised Emiko that he'd be back in a few hours. He didn't count on another bad storm just after the blizzard. Michonne looked at him.

"Somewhere you had to be?" she asked.

"Made a promise t' someone that I'd be back 'n a few hours." Merle said as he watched the snowfall get heavier. "Had to get some stuff for 'er 'cause she got sick."

Michonne nodded slowly and went about what she was doing. Eventually, she grabbed a bag of chocolate covered pretzels and sat on the cashier's counter. She knew she wasn't going to be anywhere anytime soon herself. She shrugged, thinking she might as well make herself comfortable. Hopefully, it would stop snowing in the morning and be on her way.

"I see..." Michonne said after a while.

Merle nodded and looked around the store. Emiko was going to be upset that he didn't get back like he promised. He looked around until a toy car. He noticed that Emiko liked toy cars a lot, even saying that she had one, but left it at the orphanage. He thought it'd make another nice gift for her. He picked it up along with the salt he'd found.

"Toy car?" Michonne inquired, eyebrow quirked upward.

"Person I made the promise t' was a lil' girl…" Merle murmured "She likes cars."

"Interesting girl." Michonne remarked.

Merle chuckled and went about his business. Gathering kids' vitamins and anything else he needed. He turned to see Michonne taking an old stool to stand on. The soup was on a higher shelf than she could reach. He started to walk over to help when the stool broke. He rushed over and caught her in his arms as she was about halfway to the ground. For a moment, they stared at each other, her brown eyes staring into his blue. If Merle wasn't sure if he was attracted to her, he was sure at this point.

"You okay?" Merle asked quietly

Michonne just nodded and moved to stand up, crossing her arms and thanking him quietly. He reached up and got the cans of soup from the high shelf, handing them to her.

"Coulda jus' asked for help, y'know…" Merle grinned.

"Would've been fine if the stool hadn't broken." Michonne huffed

"Damn, you a stubborn one, huh?" Merle chuckled, reminded of Thaliana "…Shit." He smirked.

"Worked for me so far." The woman said, crossing her arms.

"Can only work for so long, darlin'" Merle replied

….

Emiko was supposed to be in bed recovering, but she stayed glued to the front window, waiting to see Merle pull up. She knew that the storm outside was bad. She knew that he wouldn't be able to get back until the storm stopped. She was determined to wait there, sleep by the window – if she had to, in order to see his face as he got out the car.

"Emi, you have to rest…" Mrs. Talbert said kindly.

"I'm staying here until Uncle Merle gets back" Emiko pouted before coughing

"I'm sure he'd rather see you rested, my dear." Mrs. Talbert replied "Come on to bed."

Emiko was too tired and achy to protest anymore. Plus, it was kind of cold near the window. Reluctantly, the little girl followed Mrs. Talbert. Emiko was given a warm bath, her medicine, and put to bed in thicker pajamas that Merle got for her on his last supply run.

...

Morning came and the snow had finally stopped. Merle gathered his supplies and started going back to the car. The normally ten minute walk now took thirty. He sighed in relief when he saw it and brushed the snow off the top… it was still there as were any other supplies he picked up, he saw as he checked the trunk and back seat. He'd noticed the entire time that Michonne had been walking behind him. He just figured she was going the same direction for a while, so he didn't pry.

Shoveling snow with one hand and that apparatus was extremely difficult. More difficult than cooking with one hand. He had a feeling it would be a challenge, but figured he just had to melt enough of it and push enough out of the way in order to leave. This was so much harder than he thought it would be.

Michonne watched him for a while. observed as he struggle to dig his car out. With a heavy sigh, Michonne grabbed her shovel and started digging beside him. This caused Merle to look up from what he was doing. He was a little shocked that she just jumped in with assistance.

"You've got someone to get back to." Michonne explained "So do I."

"So go on an' get t' who's waitin' for you." Merle said

"Now who's being stubborn?" Michonne smirked

Merle just smirked back and chuckled, eventually thanking her for the help. In about an hour, they were able to get the car free. Merle offered Michonne a ride to where she was holed up at, but she refused – saying it wasn't far. He asked again to be sure, but Michonne assured him that she would be fine. With a reluctant shrug, Merle drove off slowly as he occasionally glanced in the rear view mirror until he couldn't see the beautiful, sword-wielding woman anymore.

"Stubborn as fuck…" Merle chuckled.

….

Merle had come back to Woodbury, stopping somewhere to pick up Emiko's fancily wrapped gifts. He went inside his house, seeing Mrs. Talbert and Emiko putting up Christmas decorations. He smiled when Emiko ran to him and hugged him.

"I was so worried, Uncle Merle…" Emiko said as she buried her face in his shirt. "I'm so glad you're back…" Emiko started crying.

Merle pet the girl's head and kissed in her hair as he hugged her tightly "I'm glad I'm back with you, too, Emi… I'm sorry it took so long."

Emiko nodded and wiped her face with a tissue Mrs. Talbert handed her. When Merle showed her the wrapped presents, her mood changed to something much brighter and happier. Merle allowed her to take one and open it, telling her the rest were for tomorrow. She took a small one and started to open it. Emiko gasped when she saw the pink metallic Hello Kitty watch and hugged Merle again with a big smile on her face.

"Thank you, Uncle Merle!" she said excitedly.

"You're welcome, Little'un." Merle smiled "We'll set the time when the sun is high in the sky, okay?"

Emiko nodded as Merle picked her up. Mrs. Talbert just giggled.

"She tried so hard to wait up for you, Mr. Dixon." She said, patting Emiko's head. "Took me a few tries to get her to sleep."

Merle looked at Emiko, who seemed to be drifting off to sleep as he held her. The man smiled and shook his head.

"Seems like all I know, these days, are stubborn ladies." He chuckled.

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_So, that's it for this chapter! _

_Next Chapter will be a flashback chapter with Daryl, Merle and Thaliana._

_Thank you so much to all the readers – it's because of you that this story has the success it has!_

_As always – Thanks for sticking with me!_


	21. Where the Broken Thrive

_Hey, Readers! I'm so very sorry for the wait. I had a bit of writer's block when doing this flashback chapter. That being said, here it is!_

_I don't own TWD_

_Please enjoy!_

….

**Where The Broken Thrive**

Thal an' I were out for our second day of findin' supplies. She mentioned hittin' up a pharmacy for penicillin since we were well into flu season or somethin'. Lately, we'd seemed to be gettin' more appreciation for riskin' our lives for the group. Heh. I remember when not even Shane – who'd be the one sendin' us out there – would thank us. Wasn't so much that we cared…. It's just common courtesy. That shit was startin' to piss Merle off.

….

"Fuck the old world." Merle muttered as he took a sip of his beer.

Thaliana and the Dixons had gone on one of their treks. They had found a lot of squirrels and rabbits, another pig, some more quails, and they dug around for more crawfish when they got to their usual spot. Merle handed Thaliana a bottle of cranberry juice to drink with her chips. Daryl pulled a beer for himself as he tore into a piece of beef jerky.

"Fuck those pussies at the camp n' the douchebag that's leadin' 'em." He continued. "Send us out t' fetch supplies n' don' even get thanks, but from Dale, Carol n' her kid."

"Don' even talk to us or look our way when we come in with the goods." Daryl added "Like we ain't even there."

"The old world's only just passed, really;" Thaliana sighed "People are going to judge based on what they see and hear… based on their fears and what they don't understand…it'll either change for better or for worse as time passes." She looked up at the older Dixon "We're all guilty of passing judgment on people, anyway."

"Yeah…" Merle sighed, remembering how they were in the beginning.

"But… people will come to realize that it'll only get harder… that someone you once hated could end up being your best ally…"

Merle nodded, taking another sip of beer before sitting at the ledge, rather than their regular spot by the boulder. Thaliana and Daryl joined him, both Dixons sitting on either side of the young woman. Her grey eyes looked over the land below them. The grass was still so green, the river still shimmered in the sun and the wildflowers still held their vibrancy. It was amazing to her that in all the chaos, the earth itself moved on as if nothing changed. The world they knew ended. They may have been better off for it: an ex-military, drug dealing, drug using racist and sexist… a hothead with few social skills and was brought up somewhat by his brother – the racist, drug-dealing addict… and an assassin that was afraid of people – men, in particular.

"Hand we were dealt wasn't a fair one…" Daryl said

"That's an understatement…" Merle laughed "Three o' us were dealt a _shit_ hand." he chucked the empty beer bottle over the edge of where they were sitting. "Least you made out good 'fore the world went to shit." He said as he turned to Thaliana.

The woman shook her head "I was paid to kill people… I don't really see where I'm better off, other than being better equipped to survive." she shrugged. "No better off than you guys, really…."

"True…" Merle shrugged "Your money's worthless now, though." He chortled.

"Shut up." Thaliana chuckled as she pushed his arm. "A lot of things are worthless now, I guess… what good is a Van Gogh with walker blood all over it?"

"Or a rare copy of a book by some long-dead writer?" Merle added "None o' that high-culture bullshit mean a thing now."

"What's happenin' right now?'" Daryl began "This hell we livin' in right now is what's gonna be remembered… three o' us are gonna be among the ones that survive an' tell the tale."

"Damn straight." Merle grinned.

They sat for a while and talked about random things: Music, sports – Thaliana stayed out of that conversation until they talked about football, they even talked about dreams. They all had dreams… or rather nightmares revolving around their childhoods. Merle rarely had them but Thaliana tended to have them more often out of the three of them.

"I just… I want to forget him… I want to forget that coward." Thaliana sighed

Daryl looked at her for a moment before his gaze fell back onto the landscape "Kinda hard when you see 'im in the mirror every day…" he muttered.

Thaliana knew that he meant the scars. They were silent for a while again, just looking out at the scenery before them.

"If the world were fair…. Everyone would be the same." Thaliana said "As weird as it sounds… maybe we had those lives because we were meant to thrive here and now."

The Dixons looked at her for a moment, both of them kind of shocked over what she said. But think for a moment, they knew that she believed that no person should go through what the three of them endured. They listened as Thaliana went on to explain further.

"I often think about… how my life would have been if I hadn't gone through the things I did… done the things I'd done." Thaliana spoke "Would I have survived this long?"

Merle thought for a bit. He would think about that from time to time himself about himself and his brother. Of course certain things lent to their ability to survive: being used to not having much, having to fend for themselves, among other things. He was pretty sure that had their lives gone differently, they probably would have had less of a chance.

"Well, what happened jus' happened, it don't define us none." Merle said "We jus' take what we got n' use it t' survive… we'll out live most o' those pussies at camp…. This world's ours t' thrive in. The ones that get looked down on… ev'ryone's gon' turn t' us for help so they can live on like we will."

"Rather it jus' be us." Daryl said "Jus' the three o' us, not have to worry 'bout people holdin' us up."

"Be easier t' get supplies, too." Merle added

"We do have people that would miss us…"Thaliana reminded.

Merle shook his head "Naw, they'll miss _you_…. Carol n' Dale don't care near half as much 'bout us as they do you."

"They care about you guys, too." Thaliana rebutted "Otherwise, they wouldn't even bother speaking to you – much like how everyone else treats us. Besides… if something goes down, we'd have strength in the numbers."

"… Guess you right." Merle sighed "You think we should stay? We'll stick around… But I'm sayin' this: the moment any o' them fuckers try t' screw us over, we leavin'. Agreed?"

Both Daryl and Thaliana agreed –the latter doing so reluctantly. They knew nothing of what lay ahead of them in the coming weeks; of how they would be separated and the changes they would go through. They weren't aware of the connections they would make, of the people that would come into their lives – new and old – and how all they would go through in this world would shape them.

….

"I'm sorry, Thal." Daryl said. He turned from the snow blanketed streets to look at her as she pulled up to the pharmacy.

She blinked owlishly at him. "What?" she blurted out "You didn't… you didn't do anything…" she said, confused.

"Naw… this one was a long time comin'… an' I shoulda said it 'fore we got close like we have." Daryl explained "I'm sorry for the way I treated you at the start…."

"… I'm pretty sure I told you not to worry about that." Thaliana smirked "I mean… do you think I would've gotten this involved with you if I hadn't forgiven it?"

"Guess not." Daryl chuckled after some thought "Naw… Naw, you wouldn't have."

"I'll kick your ass, if you do it again, though." Thaliana said before smiling at Daryl.

The archer laughed, which was rare for him. The fire this woman had was something he loved. With a soft smirk, he held her hand and looked into her gray eyes with such adoration… a tenderness.

"I promise you… you'll never see that from me again." Daryl said softly "I could never hurt someone I love so much… plus, I actually believe you might be able to actually kick my ass." He chuckled.

Thaliana grinned as they pulled up to the pharmacy and got out the car. "Only 'might'?" she hummed, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, now you ain't the only tough-ass here." Daryl smirked, looking at her rear and the natural sway of her hips as she walked up to the door "Though, you have a very nice one, I'll be honest."

Thaliana chuckled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "You can look at it all you want later… Let's finish up so we can head back."

Daryl looked at her shapely posterior and smirked to himself again. "Yeah, let's hurry."

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_So, that is the flashback chapter!_

_Thanks to you lovely readers from around the world, we've gotten close to 3,700 views!_

_I really appreciate each and every one of you the read, review, follow, and/or favorite…_

_It means a lot to me._

_The next chapter will explore the Carol/Lucien connection_

_As always – thank you so very much for sticking with me!_


	22. Their Loss

_Hello, readers!_

_I deeply and sincerely apologize for the crazy-long wait for the new chapter. I was almost done a couple of weeks ago, but I had to trash it and start over. I want to bring you guys work that I'm proud to let you guys read._

_That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_I do not own TWD._

...

**Their Loss**

Thaliana and Daryl had been gone longer than they said they would be. Everyone pretty much chalked it up to the snow. Still, people were anxious and worried. Some more worried than others.

"Mom, Thali and Daryl are coming back, right?" Sophia asked quietly. Her expression held some worry and a little sadness.

Carol smiled at her daughter and hugged her for a while. It had snowed while they were out on their run. "It's gonna be tough for them with all the snow… but they'll be back, baby – I'm sure of it."

Carol looked at Sophia's face. It seemed to have brightened some. At this point, Carol would take comforted over completely happy. She smiled a bit to herself as Sophia went off to play with Carl. Inside, she knew Sophia had only reiterated her worries. With all the snow, it was going to be hard for them to get back. Food was running low… medicine, too…. And they needed coats badly.

"They'll get back…" Carol told herself quietly and nodded "They'll make it back…"

Lucien walked up to Carol with a smile and two steaming cups. Carol smiled back and nodded to him as he sat down. "Something to help with the chills." He said, handing her a cup of warm cider.

"It's the instant, powdered stuff… I hope that's okay." He said

"Oh, it's fine, Lucien." Carol chuckled "I'm not a picky person when it comes to that…. not that anyone can afford to be."

Lucien chuckled and smiled as he looked around. Everyone seemed to have small, somewhat sated expressions on their faces as they sipped the belly-warming drink. Even the kids looked a little happier.

"It's good." Carol sighed "Thank you…"

"You're welcome." Lucien smiled back "I'm glad you're enjoying it… Of course, I'd be happier if you and Sophia weren't so worrisome." He said gently. "They'll make it back; those two are tough as nails."

Carol chuckled and gave a little smile "Oh, I know they will." She sighed "I just… I want Sophia to be strong."

Lucien and Carol both look out at Sophia as she builds a large snowman. The young girl smiled to herself, placing little chunks of old wood for buttons and eyes. It was such a delight to behold a moment of innocence in a world as harsh and cold as the biting winter air. Carol looked down into her steaming cup of cider and let out another sigh.

"I want her to be stronger than she'd ever seen me be." She said, thinking about the nightmare that was her marriage "I should have left… when Ed changed, I should have left so she could see that a relationship like that wasn't healthy or normal. "

Carol began to share her worries: Sophia, the group, her fears of what could happen if they hadn't found a more secure place to survive. Lucien sat and listened to every word. He offered comfort and gentle honesty, but honesty nonetheless. Carol had come to appreciate that over the months, along with all the other things: His selflessness – taking the one cabin with no heat so that the rest of the group could be warm.

She also admired his bravery and heroism. Daryl and T-Dog told the story in a way that put a person right there in the thick of it. Glenn, T-Dog, Daryl, and Lucien went on a supply run and found a small diner with a freezer full of food in a little town they had originally cleared. They grabbed everything they could and began packing things into the van, but Glenn saw it… a herd. It seemed like it came out of nowhere. Everyone started to scramble for the van until Lucien noticed Daryl wasn't with them. Lucien went back and saw Daryl trapped behind the bar and his knife was on the floor; he couldn't have killed one without getting bitten by the other.

Lucien just gave a nod to Daryl and the each cleared a side of the bar, allowing for Daryl to escape. The group fled the area with their lives and a trunkload of goods.

From then, Daryl and Lucien became a little closer, still taking friendly jabs at each other. He solidified himself as one of the group. Even Thaliana decided that he was somewhat trustworthy.

Before that, however, Carol and Lucien had become close. Daily chats and conversations, the long walks, the smiles and laughter. People started taking notice when they started holding hands occasionally, as well as the brief hugs that seemed to become less and less brief with each embrace.

Sophia definitely noticed and it brought a smile to her face. She felt that Lucien was a good man and he was always so kind to everyone, especially to her and her mother. It didn't seem forced or faked to her – as if he were just trying to get on her mom's good side. Sophia liked Lucien, he always made time for her and she didn't feel scared around him, unlike her birth father…. She felt safer with Lucien than she ever did before the massacre at the quarry.

The young girl liked seeing Lucien and her mother together. She was even so bold as to express this to her mother and giggled when she saw Carol blush a bit. Carol was rather surprised that her daughter suggested she be Lucien. Carol began to wonder if everyone already knew that she and Lucien were an item.

"Do you think we're being obvious about this?" Carol chuckled

The crimson that crept across Carol's countenance brought a little smile to Lucien's face as he held her slender hand.

"We might…." Lucien said "Personally, I don't mind it being known that we're together now… but I leave it in your court; if you want us to be more low-key about it, then I'll do that."

Carol looked at the handsome Portuguese man with a warm and gentle smile. her gaze shifted to the busy group as he leaned on his shoulder and hugged her arm around the back of his waist.

"If they know, they know." Carol decided. "If they don't like it…. Oh, well."

The pair looked at each other for a moment before they broke into a bit of laughter. The change in Carol was subtle, but rather astonishing – miles away from the Carol everyone knew before Ed died. Perhaps this was the old, pre-Ed Peletier Carol… maybe it was a whole new Carol. One thing was for sure: everyone liked this new, stronger, more confident woman.

So did Lucien.

So did Carol.

Xxxxxxxxxx

_So that's the Carol/Lucien Chapter – I really hope you liked it!_

_With school starting up now, it's going to be a bit difficult to crank out chapters like I did in the beginning. But I will do my absolute best to try and have 2-4 chapters for you guys each month._

_Again. I am so very sorry for the long wait._

_Thank you so much for your time and patience._

_And as always: thanks for sticking with me!_


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